Make Up and Mud Gift Basket NEWS!

First of all, this may be a little short and sweet, because I have a very full schedule today... (Even if it does consist mostly of  "At-Home" activities.

I've been a little spastic lately, because we've been trying to pack up our house so that we can move out by the end of the month. Packing is one of the most horrible tasks... but I've already complained enough to you about that lately.

Due to being crazy busy, I haven't had a lot of time to devote to Make Up and Mud Online Boutique. My Facebook updates have slackened and my pins on Pinterest are getting a little dated. *sigh*... What in the world did we do before Facebook and Pinterest? We played outside!

Moving on...

I have three gift baskets that I out together that will be perfect for anyone who is moving into their first apartment or house, maybe right out of high school or college. Due to the BRIGHT colors in each basket, I think they would be better suited for a girl (but who am I to say?) These baskets are filled to the brim with bright, cheery colorful kitchen items, such as measuring spoons, "to-go"container, regular and mini rubber spatulas, toothpick holders, ice scream scoop, potato peeler, a few colorful plastic cups, hard "durable" plastic cup, water bottle (maybe for class?)... the options are endless.

This is the smaller version of one, without all of the cups and extras!

And to top it off, the "basket" isn't like one that that big bunny drops on your doorstep... No, this basket is a rubbery container, definitely suitable to get wet, and would be a perfect bathroom organizer. So, you don't have to stow it away at the top of the closet, because you can find uses for it all year long! Clutter Control... YES!

I'll wrap each gift basket up and tie it at the top with ribbon and add a poofy tulle bow to make it absolutely adorable! This would be a wonderful Graduation Gift, and Graduation time is right around the corner. (It would also be a great Easter Bunny "basket" for that hard to buy for your high school age daughter!) I've put a LOT of items and a LOT of time into each basket, and I really hope you enjoy them!

I only have three left (I started with four), so if you would like to order yours today, just let me know! The link to my Facebook shop is:

https://www.facebook.com/makeupandmudboutique

I hope to hear from you soon!

Have a Real CHRISTmas this year!

Merry Christmas!! At our house, I think we're just going to skip right over Halloween, take just enough time to eat a few bites of turkey and macaroni and cheese on Thanksgiving, and sail straight ahead into Christmas Season. Every year I hit Christmastime Full-Speed-Ahead... and every year I procrastinate certain gifts and things that need to be done.

Where in time did the true meaning of Christmas go out the window? When did it become easier to focus on buying, choosing, wrapping, and giving a million gifts than it is to tell ten people about the whole reason we even have Christmas? Imagine if this year you told your kids and family that instead of buying gifts for them, everyone else, and your neighbors, you were going to read them a special book about the Birth of Jesus. How well do you think that would go over?

The truth is, giving gifts, buying gifts, wrapping gifts, UNwrapping gifts, opening gifts, just about ANYTHING involving gifts, is forever a part of Christmas in America. That's just how it is and will be for at least the rest of our lives.  So, why can't we give gifts AND read our kiddo's the REAL Christmas Story? If God allows us the privilege to have the financial means to make our family feel special and loved through gifts and celebrations on during each Christmas season year after year, don't you think we OWE it to Him to include Him in all of the SPLENDOR? I think WE ALL do.

I admit, in the past years, I have failed to remember the true meaning of Christmas and WHY we have Christmas. Lately, I have been painting and making different Christmas Crafts, so I've been googling random ideas to incorporate into my own ideas. I've found a million crafts with SANTA as the focus, but I started noticing how hard it was to find BIBLICAL CHRISTIAN Christmas craft ideas. That's when I really realized that I'm just as much to blame for this as anyone else is. And I also realized that also, just as everyone else, I also have the ability to fix this problem. And this season, I'm going to make a conscious effort to not only spread Holiday Cheer, but I want to make a conscious effort to remember the real reason for Christmas, WHO we are honoring, WHY we even have Christmas, etc. I want to wake up POST Christmas this year, and feel like I did my job to make God smile by remembering Him, and I encourage you all to make sure you start NOW to remind your kiddos WHY we even have Christmas.

Breathe in, Breathe out, and this year don't stress about whether you spent too much on someone or if they will know how much you spent. I wish EVERYONE, myself included, would pick out each and every gift, stocking stuffer, etc, by putting emotions and feelings into it. It's the beginning of October, so you still have time. Take your paper, and write down everyone on your list that you WANT to buy Christmas for. Beside each person, write their interests, what they enjoy doing, etc. Then, instead of hitting Dillard's when they have their special sale days, hit odds and ends stores NOW before the traffic and hustle picks up. If you put thought into their gifts instead of $$$ signs, you will find yourself making your new recipe for Christmas cheer in your life and the life of others. Who knows, you may be the only person who really put thought into that person this year. And the $5 pair of fuzzy gloves that you know the lonely housekeeper would love... put down that cosmo magazine and buy them for her in it's place. That's what we all should do. You NEVER know when your smallest of gestures may be their only gesture at all! What's small to you may be life changing for them. You could even send anonymous gifts!!

If there is a particular area of your family that is rather large, and the thought of buying for the ENTIRE family stresses you out, make the the phone call and tell them that you want to draw names this year. Set a limit and stick to that limit. If the limit is set for $25 and you stick to the limit, but they spend $40, don't feel bad about not sticking to it. I bet next year they'll spend $25 like you all agreed to, so it's only like one year of uncomfortableness... :) And don't run out and pick up random things until you reach that $25 limit... Add that person to your list of people to buy for. What do they like? What do they collect? You would be surprised what kinds of things you can add to people's collections from antique stores...

Bottom line(s):

              This year, remember the wise men brought Jesus their finest oils. They did this willingly and they wanted to give Him this gift to show Him how important HE was to everyone. Show your friends and family how important they are to you, not by buying the hottest item, but by making this Holiday CHRISTmas season count. For everyone.

Make Up and Mud Very First Monthly Jewelry Contest Information!!!

Hello Everyone! If you have been following my status updates, you have seen that lately I have been hinting around about Make Up and Mud Boutique's upcoming contests.  Well, here is the official information about our first contest starting next week!! Yay! (Can you tell that I am just a little bit excited?!)

 Make Up and Mud Boutique will be kicking off our very first weekly contest this coming Monday, July 25.

I decided to start holding contests for many reasons. The reason for this specific contest is that I often find myself becoming bored while listing new jewelry with titles like "Beautiful Ruby Red Earrings" or "Sparkly Crystal Silver Bracelet."  Everything I create has a special story or originates from something in my heart, so a generic title just doesn't seem to give my designs personality or meaning like I hope for. I want my jewelry to always make a "statement" for the person who wears each item, a beautifully unique statement.

As a quirky solution to my "Jewelry Title Slump," I have decided to follow the rising new trend of individually naming each new item of jewelry or jewelry line. I love this idea, because there are absolutely no limits when it comes to naming something you design.  I know I will have such a fun and creative time thinking of catchy names, but I also want to include my customers and friends in that process as well! I can imagine that after I name 50 pairs of earrings, I just may want (need) your help and creativity to cause a spark in me! Now, here is an incentive from me to get your crafty juices flowing... 

WHAT TO EXPECT:

• At the beginning of every week, I will upload a picture of one new item of jewelry to an album in my Make Up and Mud Boutique on facebook. The title of the album will be, "Name This Jewelry!" For that entire week, I want you to think of catchy names and post your new name idea or ideas in the comment section for that week's picture. The contest will run for an entire week, and on the next Monday I will announce the lucky winner and the winning name they submitted from the week before. Then, I will upload another un-named piece of jewelry and the contest will start over again for that week. And so on.

HOW TO WIN: 

• The winner of the contest will be the person who submits the most "fitting" and unique name for the jewelry up for grabs that week. The judge of the contest will be me, yours truly, but I will definitely run my top favorite names by a few unnamed people to get other opinions before I make the final choice each week.

THE PRIZE:

• The winner will receive a gift of the jewelry they just named (free shipping of course), a 30% discount on any remaining items in that matching set, and 10% off all other jewelry in Make Up and Mud Boutique.

• For example, if the newly named item is a necklace, the winner will receive the necklace as a gift, and IF there is a matching ring, bracelet, or pair of earrings, they will also receive 30% off and FREE SHIPPING on those items as well. If you choose not to purchase the matching items then you still get to enjoy your free jewelry gift!
• Occasionally jewelry pieces will not have matching items in a set.
• There will be weeks where I post just one pair of earrings to be named, and other weeks I may post an ENTIRE collection... You just never know!

CONTEST INFORMATION AND RULES:

• First and foremost, you must "LIKE" our page first (obviously).
• You can only win one piece of jewelry per month.
• There is no limit to the number of submissions you can make each week. The more entries you make, the more of a chance you have to win!
• Please keep the names simple, around 1-3 words.
• Be Creative! Use your imagination! Let your surroundings inspire you!
• All winning jewelry for each week will be mailed at the end of each month. This will give each winner the opportunity to view any new jewelry added to my collections throughout the remainder of the month. If you decide to make an additional jewelry purchase from Make Up and Mud, you will receive 10% off those items as well, along with the included FREE SHIPPING. 
• Do NOT submit anything using profanity, vulgar names, or anything that may be perceived as offensive. This is supposed to be fun!

I have to write the rules just in case there are some goofballs who submit offensive names or do not cooperate. But, seriously guys, you know that I am still just Chelsea. Sometimes I feel like I have to sound "Official" when I write descriptions, and that can take the fun out of this. That's another reason why I think we all will enjoy this contest: It will give me a fun way to interact with my friends and customers, and you will have a frequent opportunity to win free jewelry. I think that's a win for us both!

I am excited about the contests, because it gives me another way to explore creative outlets. I am throwing around an idea of having an Auburn and an Alabama winner of a specially designed gift basket in September to kick off the most exciting sport in Alabama: FOOTBALL. I think a gift basket to prepare you for tailgaiting with little items like Team Earrings, Tumblers, a tailgaiting sign, etc would kick off those tailgaiting parties in a fun way.


What do you think about thatidea? Do you think it would be a good idea? Can you think of any items that would be neat to win? I would love to have more imput about what you would like to see in my boutique, because I'm not getting very much feedback. Regardless of the discouraging factor for myself, I can't make exactly what you want if you do not let me know!... And I can make TONS of things!

Anyway, let me know what you think about the contests, and definitely toss any ideas that you may have my way. Thanks for everything, and thank you to the people who are supporting me! I love you all!