product recommendations « Slightly Unhinged

Posts Tagged ‘product recommendations

Jan

Barefoot Books Winter Sale – Up to 80% Off!

Categories: Books, parenting and shopping
Tags: product recommendations, shopping

I’ll admit it: I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to children’s books. I don’t want just a good story, I want the whole package…gorgeous illustrations, beautiful presentation, something educational or inspiring, possibly even a little work of art for our bookshelf. That’s why I’ve always loved Barefoot Books, a children’s book company started by two moms who appreciate books in much the same way I always have. Barefoot produces exquisite, award-winning books that not only tell great stories but nurture creativity, feed imaginations, and strengthen connections with the global community and the earth. Best of all, Barefoot is currently in the middle of their Winter Sale, in which they mark select items down by up to 80% off regular price. Whether you are already a fan of Barefoot or you want to check them out for the first time, the Winter Sale is a great time to stock up on their quality products at bargain prices. Don’t wait though…the sale ends on January 31, 2010.

Jul

Rizzo Tees: Your Online Source for Funny T-Shirts

By courtnaysb Leave a Comment

Categories: Fashion
Tags: product recommendations, shopping

I haven’t always been a funny t-shirt aficionado but since my 13-year-old son has decided that his wardrobe should consist of almost nothing but wacky graphic tees, I’ve had to get up to speed fairly quickly. He began forwarding me links to shirts he liked and when I’d check them out, I’d often end up following the companies he likes on Twitter on becoming a fan of them on Facebook. Once I had identified myself as a funny t-shirt purchaser, I began to get tons of follows on Twitter from various funny t-shirt companies…which was surprising to me since prior to this experience, I had no idea just how many sites were servicing this niche market. At any rate, suffice to say that over the last few months I have had the opportunity to check out more funny t-shirt sites than I ever would have believed possible. There is an amazing array of funny and creative stuff out there but a few sites have stood out as particular favorites: one of these is Rizzo Tees.

Rizzo Tees is a St. Louis-based one man operation. The company’s founder, Chris, runs the fledgling business out of his basement and although he still has a day job, it is clear that funny t-shirts are his true calling. He’s created some seriously funny and original tees: among my personal favorites are I Hate Pants (who doesn’t?!), Ceiling Cat vs. Long Cat, and Dalai Lama. Chris also knows how to treat his customers right with friendly service and extra bonuses like drawings for gift certificates on his Facebook fan page.

Bottom line: If you’re in the market for funny t-shirts, you should definitely check out Rizzo Tees. Their t-shirts will have you looking cool and since you’ll be supporting a small business, you’ll feel good too. What could be better than that?

Jul

Helpful Tools for Freelancers: Toggl

By courtnaysb 2 Comments

Categories: Freelancing
Tags: product recommendations, productivity, time management

I’m always looking for tools to help me manage my time more effectively and one of my current favorites is Toggl. Toggl is a simple and straight-forward Internet-based time tracking tool that makes it easy to track time spent on various projects. It is flexible enough for a wide range of uses but it is particularly well-suited to the needs of freelancers and small groups. It is so simple and intuitive that you can easily have it set up and ready to use in just a few minutes.

All of the basic time tracking and reporting features of Toggl can be used for free by individuals or teams of up to 20 members. Toggl also offers a Premium plan that gives users access to additional features however I don’t have any personal experience with the Premium version – the free version has been more than adequate for my needs.

Besides the fact that it is free, my favorite thing about Toggl is how easy it is to use. You can log in to the website to access your personal workspace where you can click on the timer to track time on various projects or use the reporting feature to run customized reports on your activity. There are also downloadable timer widgets, gadgets that integrate with Gmail or iGoogle, and an embeddable version of the timer that you can place on your website. Since it is Internet-based, it has the added advantage of giving you the ability to access your information anytime and from any computer.

If you are looking for a way to simply and easily track time spent on multiple projects, I highly recommend giving Toggl a try.

Jul

Updated Book Recommendations

By courtnaysb Leave a Comment

Categories: Books
Tags: Books, product recommendations

I finally got around to updating my recommendations in several categories on my Books page. To take a look at the updated lists, just click on the links below:

If you have any questions or comments about any of my selections, please send me an email and let me know. Also, if you have any book recommendations you’d like to share with me, I’d love to hear about them!

Jul

Recommended Haircare: Nexxus

By courtnaysb Leave a Comment

Categories: Beauty
Tags: Beauty, Hair, product recommendations, reviews

I have difficult hair (thick and wavy with a tendency towards dryness and frizziness) and over the years I’ve tried just about every product line on the market in an attempt to find something that makes my more normal and manageable. I’m also completely unwilling to spend much time styling my hair so I need products that make my hair look good with minimal effort on my part. Recently, I’ve been fortunate enough to find a few products that meet my requirements perfectly.

Humectress Luxe Ultimate Moisturizing Leave-In Spray

My favorite of these finds is Humectress Luxe Ultimate Moisturizing Leave-In Spray by Nexxus. I’m normally not a fan of leave-in conditioners, which usually leave my hair feeling too weighed-down, but this product is very light and does a great job of providing extra moisture while also cutting down on frizz. The bottle’s well-designed spray nozzle releases the product in a fine, even mist so it’s easy to keep from applying too much but my favorite thing about it is the lovely scent: sweet and vaguely tropical but not overwhelming. On days that I wash and condition my hair, adding a little Humectress Luxe after towel-drying makes my hair softer and easier to comb through. On days that I don’t wash and condition, a few sprays of Humectress Luxe makes my hair more shiny and manageable.

Gorgeous Curls Curl Enhancing Foam Styler

Speaking of washing and conditioning, I highly recommend two other Nexxus products: Therappe Luxury Moisturizing Shampoo and Humectress Ultimate Moisturizing Conditioner. Luxurious is the best way to describe both of these products, which are thick, rich, sweetly scented and always leave my hair feeling smooth and silky. They keep my dry hair soft and moisturized, even after abuse like coloring and blow drying. On the rare occasions that I do style my hair, Gorgeous Curls Curl Enhancing Foam Styler does an excellent job of creating soft curls and cutting down on frizziness without being sticky or weighing my hair down. Applying just a little of the Gorgeous Curls foam to towel-dried hair and then blow-drying with a diffuser leaves me with soft, loose curls that last all day, even in the punishing heat of an Arizona summer.

If you have hair that is curly or dry, I’d definitely recommend giving the Nexxus line a try. Ulta.com carries a range of Nexxus products at competitive prices and as an added bonus, they offer free shipping on orders over $50 and free samples with every order. At the moment, they are also offering a coupon for 20% off any one item – I’ve provided a link to the coupon below for your convenience: