Handmade Love; Reviews of Things We've Recently Gotten

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Over the holiday season, we were gifted money on PayPal so we decided to use it on special things we had been wanting to get for Rowan. Earlier in December, though, my husband wanted to get me something very special for our 9 year anniversary and for Yule. Very recently, also, I have been gifted sage by two very generous ladies. I'd like to share my thoughts on all of the items we purchased or were gifted.

MacRae Naturals
Shop | FaceBook | Website
Link to the baltic amber butter teething necklace: HERE

My thoughts: Our eldest son had a terrible time with teething. In anticipation of that likely being the case with our youngest, we researched natural remedies for teething pain. In addition to different natural health remedies, we kept finding that people were using amber necklaces. We did a great amount of research to figure out how they were used, when they could be used, how they worked, what was best and what was the highest quality.

I can't say how the necklace actually works yet but I'll be posting about it as we actually use it. The quality is very nice; the beads are very well made and seem to be nice and sturdy. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the necklace and I am so excited to have Rowan use it!

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Brigid's Grove
Shop | FaceBook | Website
Link to the cesarean goddess necklace: HERE
Link to the Brigid's Tree of Life pendant: HERE

My thoughts: This past Yule, my husband wanted to get me something special. He didn't know what to get me so he told me to find something that really stuck out to me. This necklace was part of my gift from him. The little goddess is a cesarean goddess with "love" across her belly.

I was actually gifted the Brigid's Tree of Life pendant by the shop owner as a well wish for Rowan's birth. In addition to the tree of life imagery (representing Brighid) that connects to their business name/mission, they sell them in their shop as a "mother blessing amulet" for a safe birth.

I wear both of these daily (I am currently wearing them.) The only time I take them off is to bathe and sleep. I am so madly in love with these; I feel so empowered when wearing them. I had a hard time with my new body after my cesarean and after a couple of years of feeling very close to depression, I finally found myself. I submerged myself into the body positive scene and fell in love with my body; (perfect) imperfections and all. I am now proud of my body and totally in love with it. I also treat it better now; Instead of just going with the flow, I make a point to give it what it needs. Matthew will be wearing these necklaces when I give birth because I can't have them on; though I want them there.

Brigid's Grove has so many different goddess pendants and I super, super recommend them to any mama. My heart is so full when I wear these.

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Zúbky
Shop | FaceBook | Website
Link to the beeswax polish / salve: HERE
Link to the small natural wood teether toy: HERE
Link to the natural wood teether necklace: HERE
Link to the optional customization for said necklace: HERE

My thoughts: First off, this shop is fantastic. They are local to me (Ohio,) and they work with you and communicate to make sure all is right in your order. They go above and beyond what needs to be done and I am so, so impressed with their customer service.

I bought the beeswax polish / salve for a few reasons; they mention it helping keep the wood looking / feeling great. So that's fantastic; I haven't used it for that, yet, but once Rowan uses them, I'll post an update on how well it works. But, the other reason I bought it was because they mentioned it could be used for just about anything, including lip balm! So I figured it would be a great thing to keep with us. It works so well and feels amazing. After this is all used up, we'll be buying more!

Next, we bought a small teether toy with Rowan's name on it. I love, love this so much and I am so excited for him to use it!

Onto the necklaces... I received the blank necklace initially, despite having paid for the addition of Rowan's name to the necklace. I brought this up to the shop owner and she kindly said she would ship out the fixed version ASAP. Not only was that fantastic (I was concerned about having to pay to ship back something I hadn't messed up...) but she told me to keep the blank one!

So, because we don't really need more than one of these necklaces, she and I spoke and in a few months (sometime after Rowan is born...) I'll be doing a giveaway with the blank teething necklace! So keep an eye out for that if you have / are expecting a little one!

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Kathryn Riechert Jewelry
Shop | FaceBook | Website
Link to the stacking rings: HERE

My thoughts: These two rings were the other part of my anniversary / Yule gift from Matthew. I am so, so in love with them. I wanted nice, small, simple stacking rings with my boys' names and these were so, so perfect. Kathryn Riechert's shop has so much beautiful, customizable jewelry that I was so overwhelmed (in a good way) while choosing what I wanted. They came in adorable little boxes and bags and I even got a little cleaning / shining cloth with them. They are so perfect. I never take them off. And oh my gods, the price was perfect. Enough that I knew the quality was fantastic, but not a penny more.

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Sage Goddess
Shop | FaceBook | Website
You can purchase large sage bundles from the Sage Goddess: HERE
Or you can purchase miniature sage bundles from the Sage Goddess: HERE

My thoughts: This was a gift so I don't have a link to the sage that I received. The Heaven bath blend came as a little sample and I also don't have a link for that, but it does smell wonderful!

I haven't used the sage or the bath blend yet but they smell absolutely amazing. The sage bundles are tied up with such precision and the petals on front are so pretty to look at.

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And from a friend of mine...
She gathered sage and lavender from her backyard, strung it up and added her favourite stones; citrine. Citrine is known to be a "good luck" or a "bringing light into your life" stone. How thoughtful!

We used this sage to cleanse our apartment and stones last night; the full moon is tonight. It was such a pleasure to use.

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I really enjoy supporting handmade / homemade artists... I am madly in love with Etsy!
Speaking of, I'm hoping to open up a shop within the next year or so... I have a shop, but I haven't sold anything on it, yet. And I'd like to offer more than just custom portraits.

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Imbolc; A Crystal Grid, Stone Identification and Explanation

Imbolc is very soon; Monday (February 2nd), in fact!

When it comes to date, it really all depends on where you are / when you want to celebrate / what you read. Festivities are traditionally had between January 31st and February 2nd. The full moon where I live is technically on February 3rd, but half of what I'm finding is that people local to me celebrate it on the first and the other half on the second. The second is just what my gut keeps referring to so that's what I'm going with. We are, though, celebrating on February 1st, for sake of convenience. My hubs has the weekends off so it's easier to celebrate during them.


Imbolc is the halfway point between the Winter Solstice (Yule) and the Vernal Equinox (Ostara.) The days begin to lengthen about this time; we've quite recently observed the light earlier in the day and dark later! Within the past week or two, actually. Imbolc has historically been celebrated predominantly by Irish and Scottish people. (My husband and I both have Irish and Scottish heritage; and thusly so do our boys.) The Celtic tree month of Rowan is January 21st - February 17th. Whether or not Rowan is born in that time, I am still amazed by all of the signs pointing to this being the right name for him.

In old Irish, Imbolc means "In the belly." One sign of the Springtime-to-come is the lactation of expectant mothers preparing to birth new life! How appropriate for this about-to-give-birth mama! This holiday is about physical transformations, looking deeper into ourselves and strengthening our soul and spirituality.

The patron Goddess of the Sabbat is Brighid; you may recognize her as "Saint Brigit". She symbolizes fire and fertility, the Sun, hope, new possibilities, new life, birthing and the young.

To propagate the birth of Springtime, we'll be spring cleaning, lighting candles, making a meal; something including seeds likely, as they are a symbol of new life; invoking Brighid and making wishes for our family.


The stones found in my Imbolc crystal grid above are as follows;
Selenite (the tower in the middle)
Rose quartz (South)
Tiger's eye (South-East)
Quartz (East)
Carnelian (North-East)
Hematite (North)
Amethyst (North-West)
Moonstone (West)
Lapis Lazuli (South-West)

I chose these stones to be used in my Imbolc crystal grid for their unique and wonderful properties.

Selenite is an amplification stone; I like to use mine basically as an energy tower; gathering the energy from the surrounding stones and putting it back out into the world stronger. It also represents the Moon; not only is this stone even more amazing to me because I follow the Moon, but the moon also symbolizes water. Water is also a symbol of the patron Imbolc Goddess Brighid; using water in your rituals (or just envisioning bad energy flowing from you during a shower;) cleanses you; not only physically but mentally as well.

Rose quartz is a love stone. I keep mine with me because it promotes love, understanding and a healthy pregnancy and birth. Imbolc is the Sabbat of new beginnings and this year, we have a new baby to be born very close to the Sabbat!

Tiger's eye is a stone of protection and power. It also symbolizes the Sun and His soon full-return.

Quartz is another amplifying stone. It's also a good stone to represent a clear mind and visions of exactly what you need.

Carnelian promotes safety and is a guarding stone. It's another wonderful stone to have during pregnancy and childbirth.

Hematite promotes protection and grounding. It is a fantastic stone to keep with you if you experience anxiety often.

Amethyst is an amazing stone; it promotes calmness, creativity, good-luck, love and growth. It also dispels negative energy and promotes positive energy.

Moonstone amplifies love; love given and received; along with love of one's self. It is a wonderful fertility stone and great to carry for growth and birth.

Lapis Lazuli promotes awareness, calmness and the opening of the throat chakra; which is helpful if you need to voice your desires or stand up for what you believe in. It helps strengthen relationships and encourages truth and honesty.


How are you celebrating Imbolc?


(I do want to note that I'm in the Northern Hemisphere; anyone in the Southern Hemisphere is celebrating Lughnasadh / Lammas. Come August I'll have written a post for that as well.)

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Gifts For A Friend; Stone Identification and Uses

I have been a collector of stones for years. It started for me as a kid when I would collect beautiful stones from the creeks all around and sometimes even from our driveway. I wasn't picky.

As I grew, I began to learn more about certain stones. And that these stones actually had different properties; different energies from each other.

A friend of mine and I were talking and she told me she actually had no stones. None! At all! To someone that has been collecting for years, this totally broke my heart. So I got together a few of my stones and made a nice little beginner collection for her. I hope she enjoys these stones as much as I have!

I'm sharing this post today to help identify a few stones and list a few of their uses. I hope you find it helpful!
I am considering turning this stone identification and use post into a short series; stones and some of their basic properties...

Carnelian | Aquamarine | Hematite

Carnelian attracts prosperity, good luck and creation. It also promotes courage, confidence and community. Carnelian also encourages love and protection.

Aquamarine promotes tolerance and intelligence. If lacking confidence or courage, aquamarine would be a good stone to carry as well.

Hematite helps with grounding and self-confidence. It's also a great stone for anxiety relief.

Moonstone | Tiger's Eye | Rose Quartz

Moonstone promotes sleep and positive, even vivid dreams. It also helps soothe anxiety.

Tiger's Eye is a good stone to carry to promote prosperity. It also is a fantastic stone for grounding and protection.  It makes you see situations a bit more clearly.

Rose Quartz is a love stone; it promotes love in all places. It's a great stone for bonding and pregnancy. (Rose Quartz is my personal favourite stone!)

Onyx | Green Aventurine | Clear Quartz

Onyx is a great stone for willpower; if you're having trouble with self-control, onyx would be a great stone to carry. It's also a great stone if you need help with emotional pain.

Green Aventurine helps with anger and the inability to focus. Carry it to attract prosperity. Also, if you're particularly clumsy or accident-prone, you might want to carry Green Aventurine.

Clear Quartz amplifies the energies of other stones and helps you focus and also helps you have clear dreams.

Honeycomb Yellow Calcite | Orange Yellow Aventurine | Amethyst | Amazonite

Honeycomb Yellow Calcite is another amplifying stone. It also is another fantastic stone for pregnancy and children as it promotes good health.

Orange Yellow Aventurine helps with focusing and calming the mind. It also is a great stone for creativity if you feel that you're lacking in that area. Orange Yellow Aventurine is another good luck stone.

Amethyst calms and helps with anxiety. It promotes balance and protection.

Amazonite dispels negative energy and is another good luck stone.



I wanted to share more about each stone, but when researching stones, I personally want to know about their properties before anything else. Each of these stones has more properties but these collectively seem to be the most common. I shared what information I knew about each stone and researched each one to make sure that 1. I had the right information on them and 2. I could add more if necessary.

What are some of your favourite stones?
Do you shop by colour, energy, or do you research properties before you purchase?

I have not been compensated for this post; all stones have come from my personal collection purchased from various sources over many years. All information about stones is from what I know personally and from comparing various resources.

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