Life. Love. Lipstick.

And the winners are…

Rhonda Gail — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:25:32 +0000

Thank you all so much for responding to this week-long event! It has really been a blast receiving feedback on Shop Houndstooth and showing off my friends’ talents! They amaze and inspire me to be more, do more, and create more. But I know what you guys REALLY want to know… who are the winners?! Was it me and I just missed my email? Was it my mom/sister/neighbor/nemesis? Well, let’s find out!

Winner of the custom hair piece from Ensemble Pieces is entry 9, Vanessa W.

Winner of the first Shop Houndstooth item is entry 4, Sharon Y. who commented “Great shop you’ve got started! Yay for vintage!”

Winner of a personalized koozie from The Gifting Spot is entry 5, Katelyn A.

Winner of the other Shop Houndstooth item is entry 6, Danielle B, who loved The Original Sassy Black Apron from Shop Hepburn on OpenSky.

Winner of a handmade wristlet from Pretty Fun is entry 2, Nicole B, who commented “cute!”

Congrats to all the winners! As I mentioned before beginning this contest, I will no longer be posting on Life. Love. Lipstick. I have too many other obligations and have shifted my priorities. The blog will remain up for archival purposes and I hope you all will continue to read my other blog and interact with me. I have enjoyed meeting new people in the last three years. I never thought this little wedding blog would actually be read! Here’s how you can keep up with what I’m doing:

email: rgechristian at gmail dot com
Twitter: @rhondachristian
Hepburn and Houndstooth
Shop Hepburn on OpenSky
Shop Houndstooth on Etsy

Pretty Fun GIVEAWAY!

Rhonda Gail — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 05:04:46 +0000

****GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED****

My good friend (and former boss) Sara is amazingly creative and talented. She recently bought a new house and it is decorated SO vibrantly and uniquely. Adore. Any day now, her first child is due and you better believe that little girl’s room is adorable, complete with handmade bedding! She has an Etsy shop named Pretty Fun and also participates in markets and craft fairs. Some of my favorites currently for sale in her Etsy shop:

I asked Sara a few questions about herself and her shop.

How did Pretty Fun come to be?
Pretty Fun came about when I had received some money for my birthday. I really wanted to get something big that I wouldn’t usually buy for myself. So, one day at Target, I ran across the Singer and knew that is what I wanted. Then I just started making things. And making things. And making things. I knew I would have a houseful of purses if I didn’t start selling them. Also, selling them funds my fabric collection. Pretty Fun was born.

What is your favorite thing to create?
My favorite things to create changes on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. If it involves fabric, it’s my favorite thing to create.

Name one quirky thing about you.
My favorite thing to watch when I am sewing is Elvis movies. They are just so colorful and musical and over the top, they are a great inspiration for creating.

What do you do to unwind?
I love magazines. I have old issues of Home Companion, Living and Budget Living that I love to take out and dig through to get ideas.

What is your favorite place to shop?
Jackman’s Fabrics in St. Louis, Jo-Ann’s Fabrics, Etsy.com
Favorite place to window shop-Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Etsy.com

THE GIVEAWAY:

Sara is giving one lucky winner a wristlet! These are so neat! One handle slips through the other to create the closure. Can’t you see carrying one of these on your wedding day or gifting it to a bridesmaid? LOVE. The ones below are currently available in her Etsy shop, but doesn’t necessarily guarantee that you’ll get one you see here. I imagine Sara has others in stock and some of these may sell before this giveaway ends. Upon winning, Sara will contact you with your options. Please keep in mind that her baby is arriving any day now, so you’ll need to be patient!

TO ENTER:
Simply fill out the form below by 12am (midnight) Monday, August 31. It’s really that easy.
Winner will be chosen by random draw on Monday, August 31 and contacted that evening.
Winner will be emailed and has 24 hours to claim prize. Otherwise, I’ll draw a new winner!

~~~~~~~~~~~
****ALL GIVEAWAYS ARE NOW CLOSED! CHECK BACK FOR THE LIST OF WINNERS!****
~~~~~~~~~~~

Be sure to enter the other giveaways:
Custom hairpiece from Ensemble Pieces
Any item from Shop Houndstooth
Monogrammed koozie from The Gifting Spot
Any item from Shop Houndstooth (yep, you have 2 chances!)
GOOD LUCK!

ANOTHER Shop Houndstooth GIVEAWAY!

Rhonda Gail — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 05:00:36 +0000

****GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED****

This is basically the same giveaway as Tuesday, so essentially you have two chances to win an item from my Etsy shop if you enter both times.

Here is the difference: This time I’m asking you to check out Shop Hepburn on OpenSky and tell me what your favorite item is. It’s my way of doing a little market research. So head on over there then fill out the form below!

TO ENTER:
Simply fill out the form below by 12am (midnight) on Monday, August 31. It’s really that easy.
Winner will be chosen by random draw on Monday, August 31 and contacted that evening.
Winner will be emailed and has 24 hours to claim prize. Otherwise, I’ll draw a new winner!

~~~~~~~~~~~
****ALL GIVEAWAYS ARE NOW CLOSED! CHECK BACK FOR THE LIST OF WINNERS!****
~~~~~~~~~~~

Be sure to enter the other giveaways:
Custom hairpiece from Ensemble Pieces
Any item from Shop Houndstooth
Monogrammed koozie from The Gifting Spot
Handmade wristlet from Pretty Fun

GOOD LUCK!

The Gifting Spot GIVEAWAY!

Rhonda Gail — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:00:45 +0000

****GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED****

I am really excited about today’s giveaway. I have a love affair with drink koozies. My college days involved lying by a pool, floating a river, playing on the beach, hanging at a frat house… all with a koozie in hand. Now, I carry even my water bottles around the house in a koozie so that I know which drink is mine.

My friend Shana has a personalized gifts business called The Gifting Spot. She has the cutest stuff at great prices! Market totes, duffels, backpacks, mousepads, checkbook covers, totes, and lots of other stuff — all monogrammed! This is not the first time I’ve raved about her, because I really believe in her business and her product!

I asked Shana a few things about herself and her business and this is what she had to say.

How did The Gifting Spot come to be?
The Gifting Spot began with a simple desire to own my own business. After many years of retail experience and selling on Ebay, I was flooded with business ideas of my own. This combined with a love for the internet started my online business venture. The idea of an online business was also appealing due to the large internet market.
After a baby shower gift purchase for a friend, I fell in LOVE with monogramming and personalized gifts. I had also recently gotten married and started to adore all things with “C” on them. I had never sewn before, which is strange considering my mother and grandmother have sewn for years. I researched sewing and embroidery machines and purchased one. I began making things by hand and adding a monogram. My first customers were my co-workers and my business started out as a 3-ring binder from which they placed orders by choosing fabrics, fonts, and thread colors.
I was still determined to get my business online and after many months of preparation (and many name changes!) I finally launched TheGiftingSpot.com in May 2010. I currently carry about 10 lines with many more to come. I also plan on incorporating handmade items back in to the store, all with a monogram of course! I hope to be constantly growing and evolving, all while providing unique personalized gifts at an affordable price with excellent customer service that I learned in my years of retail.

What is your favorite item in your shop?
This is such a hard question because I love all of the items in my shop! If I don’t love it, I won’t bring it to my customers. My personal favorite though is probably the market basket. It has been one of the most popular items and with so many uses, it’s easy to see why! I even use them in my office to store business supplies!

Name one quirky thing about you.
I am obsessively organized and love to have everything in a certain place! I also have an extreme attention to detail.

What do you do to unwind?
After a long day, having a quiet evening at home helps me to unwind. My husband and I love to cook and watch movies. We are movie fanatics!

What is your favorite place to shop?
I don’t really have a favorite store, but I love ALL shopping online! Shopping online is the best of both worlds – you can avoid long lines and crowds (especially at Christmas!) and find exactly what you need by a simple search. You also have the ability to shop at any store and are not limited to local stores.

THE GIVEAWAY:
Shana is giving one lucky winner a personalized koozie! Look at all these options!

There’s a large variety of font and thread color choices as well!

TO ENTER:
Simply fill out the form below by 12am (midnight) on Monday, August 31. It’s really that easy.
Winner will be chosen by random draw on Monday, August 31 and contacted that evening.
Winner will be emailed and has 24 hours to claim prize. Otherwise, I’ll draw a new winner!

~~~~~~~~~~~
****ALL GIVEAWAYS ARE NOW CLOSED! CHECK BACK FOR THE LIST OF WINNERS!****
~~~~~~~~~~~

Be sure to enter the other giveaways:
Custom hairpiece from Ensemble Pieces
Any item from Shop Houndstooth
Any item from Shop Houndstooth (yep, again!)
Handmade wristlet from Pretty Fun

GOOD LUCK!

Shop Houndstooth GIVEAWAY!

Rhonda Gail — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:00:28 +0000

****GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED****

Some of you may not know that I opened an Etsy shop a few months ago, called Shop Houndstooth. It is so much fun to create things for others and I’m having a blast dreaming up designs.

It takes awhile to really get the word about about a new business though and word of mouth is the best advertisement. The best thing to get word out? Give you things! For FREE!

I am giving a random commenter any item in the shop. They would all make perfect bridesmaid gifts!

TO ENTER:
Simply fill out the form below by 12am (midnight) on Monday, August 31. It’s really that easy.
Winner will be chosen by random draw on Monday, August 31 and contacted that evening.
Winner will be emailed and has 24 hours to claim prize. Otherwise, I’ll draw a new winner!

~~~~~~~~~~~
****ALL GIVEAWAYS ARE NOW CLOSED! CHECK BACK FOR THE LIST OF WINNERS!****
~~~~~~~~~~~

Don’t forget to enter the other giveaways:
Custom hairpiece from Ensemble Pieces
Any item from Shop Houndstooth
Monogrammed koozie from The Gifting Spot
Any item from Shop Houndstooth (yep, 2 chances to win!)
Handmade wristlet from Pretty Fun

GOOD LUCK!

Ensemble Pieces GIVEAWAY!

Rhonda Gail — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 17:25:43 +0000

****GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED****

I grew up going to school with Lauren, the creative mind behind Ensemble Pieces. Her creations are a bit hippie, a lot bohemian, and loads of fun!

From Ensemble Pieces’ Facebook page:

Ensemble Pieces is less about the cute, spoiled princess who is dependent on others, and more focused on the beautiful, creative powerful woman who lives in each of us. Pieces to design an ensemble around, accessories to be envied by others.

Based in Orlando, Florida, Lauren sells at farmer’s markets and the like and also has an Etsy shop. Everything is one of a kind, which I love! The dresses are so perfect for summer, but my favorite thing is probably the hairpieces! Check out the Facebook page, because the Etsy shop doesn’t even come close to representing all the amazing goods she creates!

I asked her a couple of questions, because Lauren is really cool and creative. I could tell you how awesome she is all day, but it’s better coming from her! (She answered these questions from her cell phone, so don’t hold the grammar and bad punctuation against her!)

How did Ensemble Pieces come to be?
In college I wanted to create a necklace, had made jewelry for myself as a kid, and went down to the bead store and made it. Someone asked to buy it.

Researched and started selling out of my purse at the bar I took pictures at. After my husband graduated I started a farmers market every Saturday, at which point I added the clothes because I was so unsatisfied with the fashion industry. Everything cost too much, all looked same and fell apart, didn’t see any reason couldn’t be cute AND comfy.

Name one quirky thing about you.
All of me is quirky. Pretty much everything I do is creative, cooking, organizing, sewing, working with wire, dying fabrics, music, it’s all the same bug.

What is your favorite place to shop?
I mainly shop at JoAnn’s and Michael’s and a local place for specialty wire and tools (FDJ), but I also order online and am a bit of a scavenger.

I love what else she had to say, which is, Everything I make is one of a kind and if it’s for sale, I made it. I’ve found that by forcing myself to never make the same thing twice it pushes me to try new things and constantly improve on my techniques. By doing markets and craft fairs I take my art to people instead of waiting for them to come to me.

THE GIVEAWAY:
She is giving one of you a custom hairpiece! These are wonderful for the modern bride who wants a little color in her ensemble. Our indie and offbeat brides will appreciate this the most, but Lauren will be happy to make this to your tastes. You can get it in your wedding colors and it can be a large, bold piece or a small, subtle burst of color. Below are my favorite hairpieces.

Be sure to enter the other giveaways:
Monogrammed koozie from The Gifting Spot
Choice of item from Shop Houndstooth
Hepburn and Houndstooth) and then had my second child, my blogging activity on Life. Love. Lipstick. took a nosedive. I still adore all things weddings, but my interests lean more toward crafting, working on my Etsy shop, and other things. My life is really hectic right now, but I still want to care for Baby Lipstick. I put a lot of work into her once upon a time and it’s really hard to let go. I have “retired” from wedding blogging before. In fact, I’m the Brett Favre of wedding bloggers. My wedding blogging life pretty much goes like this: Blog frequently. Blog not so much. See a totally inspiring wedding on a photography blog. Rebrand blog and begin posting frequently. Get a round of great blog comments. Repeat.

I. hate. this. about myself. I frequently overload myself with hobbies and projects, and while I’m a fantastic multi-tasker, at some point everything begins to suffer. Currently, I have all of this going on:

Life. Love. Lipstick.

Hepburn and Houndstooth

Shop Houndstooth on Etsy

Shop Hepburn on OpenSky

Looking for a day job

Couponing/meal planning (which takes a lot of work for me)

Uh, my family

Something is going to have to go, and as hard as it is for me to do, I think it’s going to be Life. Love. Lipstick. I will leave it up for archives, because some of the posts still get tons of hits every single day. I have an anniversary giveaway planned for next week, five giveaways actually! I had originally planned that to be a chance to relaunch with a new look and new content. However, I think it’s going to be my farewell. I hope you will all enter the giveaways and send it out with a bang! I also hope you will all join me at Hepburn and Houndstooth, where I’m sure some lovely wedding inspiration will surface from time to time!

Heart Walk

Rhonda Gail — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 20:22:25 +0000

My husband is raising money for the American Heart Association Heart Walk in South Mississippi. What is the Heart Walk? From the walk’s website:

Did you know that cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of all Americans? In fact, someone dies from CVD every 38 seconds! Heart disease also kills more women than all forms of cancer combined. And congenital cardiovascular defects are the most common cause of infant death from birth defects.

You can help. When you join Start! Heart Walk, you join more than a million people in 300+ cities across America in taking a stand against heart disease and helping save lives!

The funds you raise in Start! Heart Walk will support projects like these:

Putting up-to-the-minute research into doctors’ hands so they can better prevent and treat heart disease among patients.

Groundbreaking pediatric heart and stroke research. About 36,000 babies are born with heart defects each year —research is the key to saving babies’ lives.

Getting life-saving information to those who need it most – information that can save a life, like how to eat better, how to recognize the warning signs of heart attack, and how to talk to a doctor about critical health choices.

I would love it if you would take a moment and donate to the cause via my husband’s team here. > DONATE!

If you would rather start your own team or learn more, you can do that here. > MORE INFO

Awesome blog discovery!

Navy and Pink

Rhonda Gail — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 21:54:53 +0000

One of my favorite color combinations for weddings right now is navy and pink. It can be done with a pale pink for a more chic, Parisian feel or hot pink for more modern vibrancy. I love both! Some of my favorite pink and navy from around the web…

source: Every Last Detail

source: The Wedding Chicks

source: The Knot

source: Madame Monogram

source: Stacey Kane

Our Wedding In Photos

Rhonda Gail — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:07:18 +0000

I posted a 3-part photo recap of our courthouse wedding on my other blog, Hepburn and Houndstooth. Go check it out. It’s five months late, but I bet it will make you smile!