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Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Shop Mom or Pop

Shop Thoughtfully...

Parenting a child is an expensive endeavour. But having to pay just to get to the starting line is salt on the wound of infertility. The exorbitant cost of treatments or adoption can put having a child out of reach for the average person.

The people below are using their creativity to fund their treatments or adoption. When you shop at any of the following online stores, you are not only getting a fantastic gift for yourself or another person, but you are supporting someone in their quest to become a parent.

Please spread the word by linking to this post or sending out the url for others to use over the holidays or whenever they're in need of a gift. If you are undergoing treatments or adopting and would like your business to be added to the list below, contact me at thetowncriers@gmail.com (exceptions to these guidelines are at my discretion for others within the community). Do not feel confined by the categories listed below; I am adding new types of businesses all the time.

Blog/Web Design
  • Fairy Blogmother Design (blog): custom blog designs. Customers must provide graphics though we will provide sites where graphics are either free or purchased. Current offer for those coming from Shop Mom or Pop: Anyone who finds her through Shop Mom or Pop will get a custom design for $15.
Ceramics
Jewelry
  • Mei Designs (Vanilla Dreams--password protected blog): Handmade jewelry featuring sterling silver, hand-antiqued natural brass, and gemstones/glass. Also, Chinese Brush & Ink Paintings/Art Prints (plus more to come...) Current offer for those coming from Shop Mom or Pop: 10% off any purchase for all IF bloggers -- all she asks is that you send her the link to your blog (email address is on the store's homepage), and she will send an adjusted invoice.
  • Tuxedo Junction (blog): gorgeous, handmade earrings. More jewelry using handmade clay beads coming soon. Also see ceramics.
  • Tarah's Creative Edge (blog): personally designed jewelry of all types: bracelets, necklaces and earrings. They also take "custom" orders. Just send an email and let them know what you want, and they will price it and create it. Current offer for those coming from Shop Mom or Pop: At this time I can offer Free Shipping. Shipping with insurance on the item is $6.30. Just send me an email at tarahville@cox.net and let me know that you found me from Mom & Pop and I'll send you an invoice for the item you want without shipping.
Music
  • You, Me and a Ch.ristmas Tree (blog): a Christmas CD of original recordings of holiday classics with beautiful instrumentals and JJ's vocals (there is a very special guest-artist appearance on one of the tracks!). Order now!
Paintings and Painted Gifts
  • Starfish 15 (blog): hand-painted gift boxes, often with adoption themes. Also see textiles.
Paper (Stationary and Cards)
  • Bohtieque Design (blog): Get perfect photo cards for any special day! One-of-a-kind custom and template designs are available; all you need to provide are the photos. Bohtieque takes care of the design, allowing you to take the file to your favorite photo lab.
  • Blurbit Barn (blog): The Blurbit Barn is all about providing unique products that are hard to find elsewhere - infertility products that deal with what infertility is really like. While we're starting off with cards focused on what it's like to suffer through infertility or be pregnant after infertility, we'll see where this takes us. 10% of all net profits will go to the Infertility Awareness Association of Canada.
Scrapbooking Services
  • Picture It... Custom Scrapbooks by Rian (blog): I take your memories and turn them into something you will cherish for a lifetime. Picture It Scrapbooks are perfect for those who are too busy or don't have the skills to do it themselves. Current offer for those coming from Shop Mom or Pop: 2 free pages! (be sure to mention that you saw this offer here)
Soap and Bath Supplies
  • Backyard Soaps and More (blog): We are an all-women owned business (me, my mom, my sister and cousin) based in Port Huron, Michigan. We make glycerin soap, sugar scrubs, body butter, lotion, body wash, hand soap, lip balm, candles and much more! Adorable holiday designs. Current offer for those coming from Shop Mom or Pop: receive 15% off your order when you use the redeem code "hope" when you check out on your Web order.
Textiles
  • Girlband (blog): Girlband originated sometime during the winter of 2005. Four women with a common sweet tooth began meeting for cheese fries and ice cream after their weekly Community Band rehearsal. These special meetings came to be known as Girlband nights. Soon it was discovered that the women not only had a fondness for edible goodies, but yarn and fabric as well. Girlband nights started to include crafting and creating. Although we are four different personalities with four different styles of craft, we’d like to share with you what can happen when friends meet for good times and good food.
  • Starfish 15 (blog): I sell gorgeous hand-painted and hand-knit items. My gifts are geared towards children and would make excellent baby gifts. Several items contain adoption themes. Also see painting and painted gifts.
  • Shop Stirrup Queens (blog): A cafepress store featuring many of the icons found on my blog including Infertility's Common Thread.
  • Shelby B's Designs (blog): I sell mainly handpainted yarn for knitting or crochet. They are all painted with acid dyes, and are wash and light fast. Most of them are inspired by places and characters in the magical world described in the Harry Potter books. I also make some beaded stitch markers and jewelry. Current offer for those coming from Shop Mom or Pop: If you find my shop through Shop Mom or Pop, simply type that in the "notes to seller" section, and I will take 10% off of your purchase. If you pay with Paypal, do not pay until I send you an adjusted invoice. I will also be coming up with a new colorway- based on the Pomegranate Infertility's Common Thread. 20% from the purchase of this yarn will go to Resolve or another IF-er who is in need of some assistance.
Textiles (Baby or Maternity)

Little Ladybugs Closet (blog): Children's clothing, maternity wear and toys: including brand names such as Gymboree, Old Navy, Gap, Lilly Pulitzer, Baby LULU, and Hanna Anderson. Current offer for those coming from Shop Mom or Pop: if you mention that you came from Shop Mom or Pop, she will give you a shipping discount.

More categories coming soon

Disclaimer: I am only the messenger and I am not personally tied to any store above (except my own). Therefore, I am not responsible for your experience with the store nor can I do anything about missing or defective products. I do encourage you to send me an email if you have a problem with a store keeper so I may address it with them and possibly remove their business from this list.

3 comments:

noela said...

Hey Mel,

My online store, Mei Designs, doesn't feature all of my items yet, but there are 10 or so currently listed, with more on the way.

I am an artist and jewelry designer, so my store features my Chinese ink and brush paintings, art prints, as well as my jewelry designs. (earrings, necklaces, bracelets, pendants, etc....)

My jewelry design features sterling silver, gemstones, antiqued/aged natural brass, and czech glass, as well as many other beads and findings.

You can find my online store at:

http://www.MeiDesigns.Etsy.com

Please visit and let me know what you think! :)

Btw, ALL major credit cards are accepted, and you do NOT need to have a Paypal account to pay for purchases, although one would need to register a username with Etsy to make purchases, which is quick and easy to do... :)
Thanks,

xx
Nilla

Yeah So said...

Thanks for posting my store. And thanks for sticking the word "gorgeous" in there - I wouldn't have been so flattering to myself!

Paty said...

I would love to be involved. I design custom blogger templates. Let me know if I can take part!

My infertility story is

Waiting for our Miracle


Designing Blog (Still under construction right now.)

Fairy Blogmother Design


I threw ya an e-mail as well. Let me know! Thanks. I think this is great!