Etsy Update: Maxi Dresses

Hey guys! Just a quick update, 2 new maxi dresses up in the shop!  Super comfy and light for summer :)

It's Easter this weekend and I've got a lot going on already!  I'll try to be back to share bits of it with you, but in the meantime, have a Happy Easter everyone! :)

Spring/Summer Mini Collection

Color Block Tank Top

Color Block Dress

Color Block Maxi Dress

My Spring/Summer Mini Collection is here!  I'm in love with all these pieces, I'm so happy with how they turned out!  All three items can be made in a variety of different color choices, options shown in each item listing.  These are going to be super cute for summer, I can't wait!  

Shop more Heidi-and-Seek Boutique here

A Sweet Baby Gift

I made this little guy as a gift for my cousin's baby shower this weekend.  I've been making gifts for the baby showers I've gone to in the past year or so, it's super fun.

You can find another handmade stuffed animal gift here!

Happy Monday everyone :)

Etsy Love: Roots & Feathers

You may already know I'm a fan of Roots & Feathers as she created custom jewelry for me and my bridesmaids for my wedding.  I love the rustic feel of all the pieces, I own the necklace in the first photo too!

Detox Day 3

Photo from Pinterest

I quit.  That sounds awful, but I think it was necessary.  First of all I was miserable, and I gagged at the thought of eating that lunch salad again (I have to distract myself whenever I think about it).  Plus yesterday I went to bed feeling painfully hungry, and this morning I woke up feeling dizzy, lightheaded and shaky.  I felt like my stomach was trying to eat itself.  Not a great way to start a day.  So I quit.

This detox did not go as expected.  I expected it to be rough, but not this rough.  I also expected to feel good while eating lots of nutrients and motivated to keep going. This was not the case.  I do however think I learned something even if it wasn't what I thought.  I would rather put more effort into regular exercise and eat the foods I want than to have to go through life feeling miserable about not being able to eat what I want.  That doesn't mean I'm going to live a life eating all junk food-no!  As I mentioned on Day 1, we eat fairly healthy and indulge here and there.  I think part of why I needed to do this (in hindsight of course) is to stop feeling guilty about the few times I eat junk food.  If I'm living a healthy life and exercising regularly, there's nothing wrong with comfort food in moderation.

What I intend to do, is to do my best to eat non-processed foods whether that means making my own pizza sauce and salsa, granola and granola bars, try to buy as much from the farmer's markets in Summertime and leave the processed, hormone-filled foods alone.  I'm also thinking of making healthier options of the junk foods I like a lot.  Making our own food from scratch means there will be no hormones or chemicals, and if we shop smart, no fillers either.  I think this is a good place to start.

For those of you following along, this detox may be for you, it may not. One thought I had yesterday was 'who said this detox was okay?' a good question to ask...I was considering that it's possible that this is meant for people dealing with obesity who have had tests done and a doctor has approved this cleanse for them, I don't know.  I just know how it made me feel, and I did not enjoy it.  I made it through 2 days, and I don't feel regret from stopping there.  I feel like I got out of this what I was supposed to, even if it is different than what I intended.  Now-I'm off to make motivational posters reminding me of what I learned.
And eat pizza.

Happy Friday everyone!

Spring Sale!

Just wanted to let you know about a Spring Sale happening in my shop this weekend!  From today until Sunday night, all 2012 Spring/Summer items are 20% off!  These are all one-of-a-kind creations and cannot be replicated, so if you've had your eye on something, now's the time to snag it!

Detox Day 2

Day 2 of this detox, I'm pushing through, yesterday was not a great day. I didn't feel very good in the evening and ended up crying for about half an hour.  Ridiculous!  I complained to my husband how much I wanted chips and cookies and cake and french fries and ice cream!  He just laughed at my silliness.  I told him that if I couldn't make it through the breakfast drink without gagging, then I wasn't going to continue today. I made it.  Dang.

If you're curious what this detox includes, you can find full instructions here, but I'll do a brief summary.

First thing in the morning:
-water with lemon and ginger
-green breakfast juice: celery, kale, an apple, a small cucumber, parsley.  So far I hate it.

Mid morning snack:
-cut up veggies-celery, cucumber, carrots.  I did not include celery today for fear of throwing up.  It would appear celery on it's own makes me sick.  I've never really liked it anyway.

Lunch:
-sushi salad-grated carrots, avocado, cucumber, cilantro, nori, toasted sesame seeds, and a soy/lemon/ginger dressing.  Not bad, I like the nori the best because it reminds me of sushi :D

Afternoon snack:
-'activated almonds'-I soaked them overnight and so they are damp, that's supposed to bring out more of the nutrients.  These make me want to gag as well.  It's sort of a love-hate relationship.  I like almonds, but something about this texture is not working for me.

Supper:
-Vegetable 'soup'-basically a ton of cut up vegetables in water with a little bit of salt and spices.  Not bad.

Dessert:
-Chia seed pudding-it never turned into a pudding consistency like the site said, I ended up drinking it. It was weird.

Evening Tea:
-Cup of Chamomile tea-it's supposed to relax you.  And I did have a very good night.  Of course that could have been because of all the crying.

I am curious to see how I feel tonight and tomorrow.  A lot of the reviews I read said that the first and second days are rough but everyone feels amazing on the third day.  We'll see.

An experiment

Today I started a 3 day detox.  Why am I doing a detox you ask?  Well...I watched the documentary 'Hungry for Change' on Netflix, and it really resonated with me.  Basically it talks about how the food we buy at the grocery store that comes in packages is made to look and taste like food, but it's actually made with food-like products and has little to no nutritional value.  It also speaks to the companies that make these foods specifically to cause you to want more-which creates a food addiction.

I feel like I have a sort-of food addiction in the sense that I crave junk food a LOT.  I know I'm not alone on this, who can say that they'd rather have a celery over chips? Carrots over cookies?  I certainly can't.  I don't  like the hold food has on me, and I want to feel healthy.  We all know how it feels after scarfing down a McDonald's burger and fries...it was good while you ate it but boy do you pay for it later on.  Your body will react to what you put into it and I'm sick of feeling like garbage.  That is not to say that I eat extremely unhealthily, we actually eat quite healthy at home; But I know I can work on my self control and making better food choices.

A plant based diet is what is suggested.  The majority of what we should be eating is vegetables, fruits, nuts/seeds, and beans.  What you choose to do after that is your call.  I don't mean to become a vegetarian or never eat junk food again, I mean to make wiser choices for my overall health and wellness.  I hope to make more of an effort to choose healthy snacks, and a plate full of vegetables with salts and sugars on the side instead of the other way around.  I have no idea where this motivation is coming from, but it is here and I'm going to take advantage of it.

As previously mentioned, today is day 1 of a 3 day detox.  The detox is meant to fill your system with nutrients and foods that will help to flush out the garbage that sits around, your body not knowing what to do with it except turn it into fat.  I'm hoping that at the end of this, I will feel better, but also begin a journey towards a healthier lifestyle.

I'll share more about it in the next few days, and if I've peaked your curiosity, you can watch the documentary on Netflix, and check out the website here.  If you want to jump ahead and see what the detox is, read the full instructions here

Etsy Love: Blackbird and the Owl

I'm sure I've shared pouches from Blackbird and the Owl before as well, but again...I just LOVE their aesthetic.  These prints and colors just jump out at me, it's weird but I get excited about colors and prints!

P.S. I updated my FAQ page with lovely blogs that I read, check it out!

Shoes with Soul

I saw this video via the Etsy Success newsletter this morning and I wanted to share it with you! It's a beautiful video made in Russia about an Etsy seller who makes his own shoes. I just love watching people create things they're passionate about, it sort of fills me up with excitement-is that weird? Anyway...enjoy!

Etsy Update

New clutches up in the shop!

Etsy Love: Pamplemouss

I know I've share items from Pamplemouss before, but I can't help myself!
I just feel happy when I look at these photos, they're so bright, colorful and I mean that confetti just makes me feel like it's party time!

Etsy Update!

Just stopping by to share a few new Spring Scarves that just went up in the shop!  More coming later today!

Etsy Love: I KNOW

I follow a number of my favorite Etsy shops' blogs, and I love to see their products evolve, change, and unfold!  These are a few items from Isabel Knowles new Spring/Summer collection.  

Part of what I love about this collection is that she describes it as a Gatbsy inspired Garden Party.  That just sounds like fun!  

Though some of the pieces are not necessarily my style, I find I just really enjoy the idea of a collection, I love the idea of having a theme or idea to develop items out of those inspirations.  I hope to be able to do something like that myself someday soon.

Check out the entire collection here

What March Finds Pinteresting

I'm loving black and white pattern with contrasting colors these days...here are some of my favorite Pinterest Pins as of late.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.

February Instagrams

I recently started an Instagram account just for Heidi-and-Seek Boutique!
Here are just a few of my February photos.  If you're on Instagram, make sure to follow along!  My username is: heidi_and_seek