Mommyssentials' amazing BabyKeeper! -WHY did this not exist when my children were babies?! What a fabulous idea!!! "The Babykeeper 3-in-1 Hip CarrierTM is the only infant carrier that also functions as a portable seat for public restrooms. It can hang from the stall wall in most public restrooms, and can also be used in many public fitting rooms. It also acts as a restraint in shopping carts. " I cannot count the number of times I wished something like this had been invented when my children were that age!

Smart Mom Jewelry - Folks ask if their babies can teeth on my jewelry, and the answer is a resounding NO! My necklaces are meant to be strong enough that they can withstand a distracted little one, but they are not an object that one would encourage to put in a baby's mouth. While I definitely do my best to use toxic-free beads in my jewelry, glass is glass, stones are stones, and I've seen a teething baby break a metal keychain pendant off a friend's keyring without even any teeth in that toothless smile of his, so I'd say nonono for using the jewelry I sell as teethers. BUT, if what you want is to wear something a baby can chew on, this company makes products out of the same plastics used in commercially sold teething rings. Of all the products out there that advertise their jewelry as mouthable, (like the ones that sell necklaces made of plastic pony beads for example - my kids bead with those and they do occasionally crack! - I'd hate to see a kid choke on a broken bead!) this is the only one that I have seen on the market that I would ever use for such a purpose with one of my own children.

GoodMama - stylish eco-friendly cloth diapering products, Hanging Pail Wetbags, free shipping on Moby Wraps and BabyLegs, and a variety of other lovely offerings - wonderful company - "Because you are a goodmama!"

Other Fabulous Jewelry links:

Gems and Purls - Excuisite and elegant wire crochet.

Mermade Baubles - Dreamy and delicate - wire-wrapped jewelry on sterling wire.

Linda Lee Studio - Linda makes gorgeous high quality artisan work!

Eni Oken is an amazing source of pure raw talent - a superstar in the world of wire-worked jewelry with a wonderful little blog which I avidly read whenever she has a chance to update! There are some wonderful tutorials for those interested in learning the art of making wirework jewelry up on her website as well.

Meristem - I think absolutely every aspect of this shop is truly inspirational. I love the way every piece has a story and the work is truly unique and unusual.

MagdalenasAtelier - I don't think I've ever seen a piece that Magdalena has made that I didn't think was absolutely wonderful!

OctopusME! - OK, I admit it - I've got some funny tastes, and octopus jewelry is way up there on the list. But this work is seriously amazing. Work made from REAL octopus, amazing metalcasting!

Parenting Blogs

EtsyKids Blog - Find out about featured handmade baby and childrens items here!

Cool Mom Picks - "We're just a few moms that track down cool stuff so you can stay busy being fabulous. We know cool stuff doesn't make the mom, but it certainly helps make life a little better. ".

Noodad.com - "We were started by 2 guys who realized fumbling through fatherhood did not have to be a solitary experience."

Featured Lampworked Bead Artsists

Juiceglass - She's got some lovely stuff and has a great sense of patience and willingness to work with me and some of my wackier ideas when I need a talented lampwork artist to make some of the ideas in my head become reality. Much of my pieces feature her lampwork as accents and centerpieces.

"Beads for a Cure" - Shari Slonski has some really amazing work - when her Ebay auctions don't spiral too far out of my budget I am always excited to get some of her awesome glasswork! She's also got some really lovely lampwork bracelets designed with cancer awareness, support, and friendship in mind that can be purchased through her website.

Beadwife - Kalera creates a lot of gorgeous stuff. Her work features prominently in a lot of my pieces as well.

Divine Spark Designs - Jenny Friske-Baer's art has appeared in my jewelry work as well.

Kathy Perras

Redside Designs featuring the amazing works by Kristan Child and Julio Wray.

Beads & Botanicals these artists have added fun soaps and sundries to their offerings as well!

Laughing Lotus Lampwork - gorgeous Borosilicate focals by Christina Burkhart.

ScottyBeads - Featuring the work of pyrisilicate artist glassworker Scott Parrish.

TeenieBeads - Sheri makes some lovely stuff - super shiny dichroic glass is her specialty.

More Lampwork Artists that I admire

Elizabeth Johnson Art Glass - I ran across this lady's incredible glasswork quite by accident. I recently found a source for beads for my pieces by an artist with the same name whose lampwork glass beads had completely blown me away. An online search using her name left me stumbling across this site, and all I can say is wow. Alas, I have been unable to locate any online resources for the Elizabeth Johnston whose work I have begun featuring in some of my necklaces. Both are masters in glass craft.

Waimea Mist - artist in Hawaii who does amazing flowers and really great sushi and food lampworked beads. Someday, I'll be able to afford this stuff! For now I just love to look.

Glass by Sarah -Beautiful, beautiful stuff.

Akiko Isono -I ran across this artist quite by accident online. Unfortunately, she doesn't sell her work online because she likes to see her customers face-to-face, so if you're ever in the Kobo-market in Toji-temple Kyoto, look for her stall because she sells there every month on the 21st. Her beads are absolutely amazing (and the price reflects that - a single bead can sell between 15000 to 28000 Japanese yen. (That's about 280 US dollars at current rates.) But look at her work - such as her absolutely jaw-dropping frog beads. Absolutely amazing!

Anastasia Beads - without a doubt, one of the superstars of the lampwork world, with a style that is recognizably all-her-own.

Melanie Moertel -stunning stunning work. I've never managed to win an auction with her beads, but I certainly love them all.

Chameleon Designs -Lovely lampwork.

Flame Born Beads - This gal has made some of the most adorable critter beads I think I've ever encountered. When I saw the funny kitty bead on her picture website, I simply had to find her and have it for myself!

Glass Glass Glass, because I just love glass.

Chichuly no glass gallery is complete without the amazing works of Chihuly and his teams. I fell in love the instant I saw a traveling exhibit that came to Portland many years ago - I could not believe I had not heard of him before then. So began my glass obsession!

Revo -glass fruit - amazing work.

Links for Beaders

JewelrySupply - Jewelry Supplies: Swarovski Crystal Beads, Wholesale Beads and Beading Supplies.

Rings and Things - jewelry supplies, findings, stones, and charms.

Beading USA - By far the best pricing I have seen for watch battery replacement.

Aunties Beads - nice selection of stones, findings, crystals, and beading supplies.