Since this last summer I have been using products from Virginia Soaps and Scents daily as well as using their cleaning bars to make our own laundry detergent ~ and we’ve loved it!

About Virginia Soaps & Scents

Soapmaking for the Spargurs started out as a homeschool project while studying Colonial Williamsburg. What began as a one-time project turned into a fun family adventure with the entire family developing recipes and starting a business together. Everything that Virginia Soaps & Scents produces {from labels to making soaps} is done in their own home.
The bars are all hand cut, giving them each a unique look. As for what is in the soap? All of their soaps are made with natural oils ~ no chemicals.

We use many combinations of oils in our soaps, but almost all will contain olive oil and coconut oil – in combination with other oils such as lard, cocoa butter, safflower, sunflower, canola, peanut, palm or soybean oils.

My Favorite Products

I struggle with different scents and smells, often getting migraines because of something that others might not even notice. The bars that I purchased myself were very mild and don’t overwhelm you with their scent {they also have a line of Fragrance Free products too!}. The scents that I have used are: Caribbean Breeze {shaving bar}, Coconut Lemongrass {Shampoo Bar}, along with some of their seasonal soap scents.

Laundry Soap ~ Making it was so incredibly simple ~ I just grated the cleaning bars, followed their recipe online, and had homemade laundry detergent in under 15 minutes.  The detergent is low-sudsing, so you can also use it with front loading washers!!

If you want to ‘test the waters’ to see if it would work for you, they offer a Laundry Soap Kit for $4.95 that includes everything you need to make a batch of detergent ~ all you need to do is add water! Cleaning bars are $3.95 for a 9 oz bar {128 loads} or laundry kits are available for $4.95 each {enough to make 2 gallons of detergent}.

Shampoo Bar ~ The shampoo has a GREAT lather and leaves your hair feeling very clean {I use the bar for oily hair}. Basically, it works just like the shampoo that I was using before. Shampoo bars are $5.50 for a 5.5 oz bar or 2/$10.

Soap Bars ~ We are generally a liquid soap using family. To the point that Zachary was in awe of a bar of soap while we were visiting friends. The soap has been hidden from little hands and stays with me ~ mainly because I don’t want to share! My two favorites are the  Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey bar as well as the Fresh Orange scents. Soap bars are $4.50 for a 4.5 oz bar, 3/$10 or 10/$35.

Ordering Information

Be sure to visit Virginia Soaps & Scents and see the wide variety of products and soap scents that they have available. If you haven’t already figured it out, I highly recommend them for both their products and wonderful customer service ~ tell them I sent you over! :)

This giveaway will be open until Tuesday, February 2nd at 8pm and I will announce the winner by Thursday, February 4th. Please be sure there is a way for me to contact you ~ otherwise I will draw another winner. Note: US Residents only, please!

Disclaimer: Thank you to Virginia Soaps and Scents for providing the giveaway products. This review is based on my own experiences with the products and gives my honest opinion.

Not quite a year ago I bought myself a little something to ‘pretty up’ my camera. While I love my camera, the strap that came standard with the camera was {for lack of a better term} ‘blah’. Black and boring.’

Since the camera is with me quite a bit, I wanted something that would be durable, comfortable AND cute. All of which I found in the camera strap I purchased from My Funky Camera. 

About My Funky Camera

The name pretty much says it all! Gabi at My Funky Camera makes some of the most gorgeous, functional, and fun camera accessories for SLR cameras. Want to know a few more details?

All of the products from My Funky Camera are created by Gabi and feature high-quality fabrics and trim. The Neck Straps{$32} are all lined with a super soft plush backing, so that is comfortable to wear around your neck. They are also 26” in length and adjustable {you can also request longer straps up to 40”}.

I happen to own this lovely strap ~ Cherry Blossoms White & Green. I have gotten so many compliments {and questions} about this strap! The stitching is precise and the fabric itself is so beautiful!

One product that I am eyeing for a future purchase are the Wristlets or Hand Straps {$25}. These handy little straps attach onto your camera and allow you to just slip your hand through and hang on to your camera without having a strap in your way when taking pictures.

If you don’t have a camera that needs a neck strap or a wristlet, My Funky Camera also offers some thinner neck straps that can be used for smaller point and shoot cameras, as well as cell phones, video cameras, ID badges and more.

If you have someone that you know would love a strap, but don’t know what to pick for them, My Funky Camera also offers gift certificates for all of their products!

If you would like to earn extra entries {you can earn 4 extra entries}, leave a comment for each of the following:

• If you are a subscriber to my blog, give yourself an extra entry! Thanks so much! If you don’t subscribe, hop on board and leave a comment.
• Visit My Funky Camera’s blog and leave me a comment telling me the name of one of the photography magazines that has featured My Funky Camera!
• Follow My Funky Camera on Twitter and leave a comment with your username.
• Twitter about this contest and let me know your twitter name so I can follow you too.

This giveaway will be open until Sunday, January 31st until 8pm and I will announce the winner by Tuesday, February 2nd. Please be sure there is a way for me to contact you ~ otherwise I will draw another winner. Note: US Residents only, please!
 
 
Disclaimer: Thank you to My Funky Camera for providing the giveaway product. This review is based on my own experiences and gives my honest opinion.

Traveling the world for your kids can be as simple as taking a quick walk out to your mailbox with Little Passports. Several months ago, we received the starter kit from the company to review and our kids really enjoyed it ~ especially the cute little suitcase filled with goodies!

About Little Passports

Little Passports sends a monthly explorer kit addressed to your children so they can follow the global adventures of Sam and Sofia who travel the world using a magical scooter. In the starter suitcase, your children receive a letter from Sam and Sofia introducing themselves, along with a large world map, a passport, some stickers, an activity sheet, and access to some online games and activities.

Each month after, your children receive a package from Sam and Sofia in the mail filled with souvenirs from the country they are visiting that include: a letter from Sam and Sofia, a passport stamp, crafts, cds, fun projects, a photo from the country, and other appropriate items. The suitcase received in the starter kit is great for storing the country packs that you receive with your subscription {or if your three year old gets ahold of it, it also nicely stores small blankets and various vehicles}.

In the first six months of their travels, Sam and Sofia visit Brazil, Japan, France, Egypt and Australia. They then continue on to China, Mexico, Argentina, Germany, and India. Little Passports is recommended for children ages 5-10

Subscriptions to Little Passports

If you are looking for a fun way to introduce geography to your kids, be sure to check out Little Passports. They now offer four different subsription plans {click on the graphic for a closer view}.

If you decide to purchase a subsciption to Little Passports, use the code hscblog and you will receive a 10% discount on your purchase!

The Giveaway!!

Little Passports is  giving one of my readers the Adventurer Package, a six month subscription for your child to travel various countries from your home!  There are several ways for you to enter this giveaway, but there is one mandatory first entry: visit the Little Passports site and leave a comment telling me one of the countries in the Adventurer Subscription.

If you would like to earn extra entries {you can earn 4 extra entries}, leave a comment for each of the following:

• If you are a subscriber to my blog, give yourself an extra entry! Thanks so much! If you don’t subscribe, hop on board and leave a comment.
• Visit the Little Passports site and leave a comment telling me one of the charities that Little Passports supports.
• Follow Little Passports on Twitter and leave a comment with your username.
• Twitter about this contest and let me know your twitter name so I can follow you too.

This giveaway will be open until Tuesday, January 26th until 8pm and I will announce the winner by Thursday, January 28th. Please be sure there is a way for me to contact you ~ otherwise I will draw another winner. Note: US Residents only, please!
 

Disclaimer: Thank you to Little Passports for providing the giveaway products. This review is based on my own experiences and gives my honest opinion.