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Cuddles & Chaos - motherhood, for real
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    • Writing, Editing and Marketing Services for Small Businesses
  • self care
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for the home, handmade products, nest

9 Handmade Products That Will Help Your Family Produce Less Waste

9 Handmade Products That Will Help Your Family Produce Less Waste - Marleys Monsters unpaper towels

From cleaning up messes to wrapping up leftovers and going grocery shopping, having kids can lead to a lot of garbage. If you’re looking for ways to help your family produce less waste, I’ve found some great eco-friendly solutions that don’t sacrifice style or quality.

Think of all of the stuff you throw away in a typical day.

There’s the plastic straw you stick into your smoothie on the way out the door. Or the disposable cup you grab at the local coffee shop. There are the flimsy plastic bags you shoved some fruit into at the grocery store to corral them in your cart and the giant wad of paper towels you used to mop up that juice spill. There are also all of those layers of packaging for individually wrapped items and the cotton balls you used to scrub the mascara from under your bleary eyes at the end of the day. And that’s just you!

A whole family can create a ton of garbage in a single day. It’s crazy if you start to really think about how many things we throw away. And while I’m not suggesting we all run out and plan to become zero waste familyies, I do think there are some simple changes we all could make to produce less waste.

I took to Etsy to find some creative—and really freaking pretty—products that can help us all be just a little bit more eco-friendly.

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handmade products

8 Feminist Etsy Finds to Celebrate Women’s History Month

Women's History Month - feminist - Creating Monkies

In celebration of Women’s History Month, I put together a few of my favorite feminist Etsy finds—from t-shirts and wall art to an enamel pin and a onesie. These pieces are perfect for celebrating womanhood all year round. 

Confession: I don’t understand women who say they’re not feminists.

I mean, how is that even possible?

Being a feminist means you want the sexes to be treated equally. That’s it.

Like any group, there are endless opinions on the right way to achieve this. You’ll agree with some and think others are batshit crazy. And that’s fine. But, at the end of the day, if you’re a woman and you don’t think women should have the same rights and opportunities as men, I just don’t get it.

My daughters should have just as many options and chances to succeed as your sons. Their ideas should be taken seriously and they should not be constantly told to smile or have their worth measured by their looks. We are not there yet.

I think part of the problem is that the word feminist has gotten so entwined in politics that to some, it has a negative connotation. To them, it means being liberal and angry and burning your bra and growing out your armpit hair and hating men. And, yes. Some feminists do and are all of those things. But it’s not an essential part of feminism.

If you disagree (and if you agree too!), feel free to sound off in the comments. I’m more than willing to discuss it further.

In the meantime, I couldn’t let March come to a close without a little dose of feminist love in celebration of Women’s History Month. I put together a roundup of some of my favorite feminist pieces I’ve stumbled across on Etsy.

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Gift Guide

10 Fun Finds for Valentine’s Day

10 fun finds for Valentine's Day

Enjoy this sweet collection of fun finds for Valentine’s Day. These unique gift ideas (all from Etsy!) are perfect not just for significant others, but for anyone you love… including yourself.

People generally fall into one of two camps when it comes to Valentine’s Day: love it or loathe it.

I totally understand thinking it’s a cheesy made-up holiday brought to you by Hallmark and florists and candy makers. I understand being bitter about having sappy commercials thrown in your face if you’re unattached. But, at the same time, I love an excuse to celebrate love in all forms—for your kids, for your friends, for your significant other… for your freaking self!

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be all about romantic relationships. It’s a good excuse to remind anyone that you love them.

These fun finds for Valentine’s Day are a great way to do just that—and you might even want to treat yourself to a few of these gems.

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Jennifer Garry Designs

Jennifer Garry Designs

Jennifer Garry Designs | love is a verb necklace - handmade, hand-stamped, mantra necklace

Jennifer Garry Designs | love is a verb necklace - handmade, hand-stamped, mantra necklace

I’m making and selling jewelry (again)! Jennifer Garry Designs is slowly but surely filling up with lots of super simple, hand-stamped pieces that whisper positive, empowering, sometimes sassy messages in your ear (or from your chest) to remind you of what’s really important.

I’ve loved making jewelry since I started dabbling in it before Ellie was born. There’s something about it that I find so calming. I’ve opened two different Etsy shops and made jewelry for a few weddings and sold pieces to people all over the world—but each time, I lost momentum and let the whole thing slip away.

I think part of my problem was that I had no real focus. I was making a lot of one-off pieces that were pretty but couldn’t really be replicated (whether it was because I was using reclaimed supplies or didn’t have a reliable place to get them from). I was more or less walking into Michaels, finding beads I thought were pretty, and making whatever came to mind once I got a chance to sit down and play with them. While fun, that’s a hobby—not a sustainable business model.

This time around, everything is different. The idea to do hand-stamped pieces came to me months ago and I let it swirl around in my brain a little before I decided to act on it and order myself a metal stamping kit. Then, after ruining a bunch of metal blanks trying to figure out how in the hell anyone does this, I finally started to get the hang of it.

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boss lady, Jennifer Garry Designs, self care

#supermomsquad Prizes

#supermomsquad

#supermomsquad

I am so incredibly excited about this #supermomsquad contest. So many fabulous ladies have helped me to spread the word and I can’t thank them enough.

But now we need you to get in on it! Don’t be shy! We want to see and hear all about what makes you a supermom. Whether it’s super sweet or absolutely ridiculous, there is no wrong answer here! It’s all about lifting moms up and celebrating the fact that, while our lives may be chaotic, we’re awesome.

And the prizes? They’re pretty awesome too.

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about the momma

Hi! I'm Jen, a freelance writer and girl mom who loves reading the newest children’s books as much as I love a good psychological thriller. I believe fiercely in the power of kindness, empathy, and really good quality chocolate. When I'm not knee-deep in glittery crafts and girl talk, you can probably find me sprawled out on my couch in the middle of a Netflix marathon with dark chocolate smeared on my face. The struggle is real. Learn more about me here.

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