F-I-V-E

Our little guy turned five this past week! Here's some pictures from his birthday celebration.

A homemade race track cake. Very easy and fun to make!

A little hula hoop action - too funny!

I love this pic of my blue-eyed beauty opening his gifts!

What to Do on a Windy Day?

Fly a kite!

Stinky???

Our family has become more and more organic and greener during the last eight years. It started with my sister-in-law introducing us to organic foods about ten years ago. We are ever thankful for her planting that seed.

As we've changed our diets, we've also started changing our personal care products. We've had several wake-up calls in the last two years with family and friends being diagnosed with cancer. It's hit too close to home. We understand that some health issues are out of our control, but there are so many that we can control through our diet and the beauty products we use.

I've read numerous articles, studies and books on natural healing/health and have come to realize that there are so many harmful ingredients in our beauty products. Did you know that the artificial fragrances and parabens in many of our lotions and deodorants mimic our body's hormones and disrupt our whole hormonal system? That, as well as aluminum, has been identified as contributing to breast and uterine cancers. Here's just one article that discusses this in greater depth (better than I can relay since I'm not an expert by any means).

I feel this is something I can control by using natural or organic lotions and deodorants whenever possible. So I took the leap and switched to coconut oil deodorant in January and will never go back to a traditional anti-perspirant. I purchased mine here and can't tell you how great it is. Yes, I still sweat a little from time to time (isn't that what our body was designed for to bring our temperature down and shed toxins through our skin??), but I never stink.

Now I feel good about what I'm putting in my armpit as weird as that sounds. This stuff is the best and I just wanted to share it with you!

New Style

Would you like to meet "Tucked"?

Tucked is a medium-sized crossbody bag. It's tucked close to your body, is lightweight, and is secure with a zipper closure.

Tucked is great for hands-free interaction, for traveling, and for keeping organized. It has a front zipper compartment and two lined slip pockets in the main section.

The adjustable strap allows you to wear the bag at your comfort level for a great fit.

Did I also mention it's stylish, modern, and super functional?

Thanks for meeting "Tucked"!

Basement Inspiration

This bag has a story behind it.

See, we've been in the process of remodeling our basement. Just doing some much needed updating - painting, throw pillows, wall art. We've lived here five years and are now finally getting around to this. It just seemed like there was always something else that took priority and time. And let's face it. . . a basement is easy to hide away and put off. But our family uses this space a ton and I knew it was finally time to make it our own.

So I found this fabric on a blog and fell in love with it. I loved it's modern floral print and that it tied our smokey blue walls in with our navy couches, all while adding a touch of burgundy. The couches have been with us for a long time and aren't being replaced anytime soon so we were forced to tie it all together. This fabric did just that, and I love it so much that I ordered a bunch extra for my shop.

Who knew that basement redecorating would inspire a new bag? It just goes to show that there is inspiration all around us if we take the time to see it.

New Double-Zipped Pouch

Literally a Pain in the Butt!

I've had back trouble a good portion of my life. It started with scoliosis as a kid and then a pinched nerve in my lower back on several occasions, and now I have a pinched nerve in my pelvis (I didn't know this was possible!). This incident is the worst so far as I can't stand or walk for very long before I feel a stabbing pain that makes me want to grab my butt cheek and scream (sorry if that's too much information). So I've pretty much been out of commission the last two weeks.

I started physical therapy and am slowly (very slowly) making progress and am getting to a place where my pain is very little in the late morning/early afternoon. This allows me some time to catch up but not a lot to do my usual.

That's why you'll notice less bags being posted in my Etsy shop and less blogging. So please bear with me as I recover. I was told it could take anywhere from 6-12 weeks. I'm definitely hoping for sooner!!!

New Bag

There's a new bag in my Etsy shop. And it's all about Spring~

Valentines Day Gifts

I couldn't help but share these awesome Valentines Day ideas.

Isn't this cute? This would definitely be used at our house since it seems like someone is always falling or getting hurt. Click here for the link.

And how about these bracelets?? We might just be making some of these this weekend. Click here for the link.

Have a great Valentines Day!

New Favorite Read

I recently stumbled across a new blog I just love and find myself reading daily!

It's all about organization which ties into my "Year of Organization" theme. This is an area I am passionate about, but it's also an area that has fallen on the wayside as I've taken care of the kids, the house, and my business. So I was super excited when I found this blog, IHeart Organizing, because I was reenergized and ready to hit it.

I was inspired to start creating a weekly meal plan on a consistent basis, declutter and organize our home office, create a homemaking binder, and implement a system for all of the kids' school paperwork. I hope to share pics with you soon of all my hard work.

You can also purchase downloadable forms from IHeart Organizing's Etsy shop here. You can find a form for meal planning, chore charts, or shopping lists. They're colorful, fun, and sure to get anyone motivated.

Enjoy!

New Bag

I've just posted a new Colorblocked bag in my Etsy shop.

This color combination of soft, smoky blues, grays, and browns might just be my new favorite.

Very soothing and spa-like.

We can all use a little calmness and serenity these days, don't you agree?!

I hope to produce a couple of this style, but there won't be very many.

I also plan to introduce another new fabric or two this week so check back often.

Hope you have a wonderful week~

New Logo

A new year deserves a new logo, don't you think?

Stop by my Etsy shop here and check it out!

I love it and feel like it's modern, simple design cleary represents Camille Star Handbags.

New Year

I hope everyone is enjoying the new year! I love everything about it ~ and I've officially deemed 2011 as my year of organization. It's time I finally get my act together and organize our family's lives and home. I'll be redoing some of the rooms in our house so they fit our needs, developing a new system for all the school/misc. papers that come into our house, and decluttering. I'm very excited. And to start it off, I got a label maker for Christmas. I never knew I could get so excited over a label maker but I truly am!

I also hope to better organize some areas of Camille Star Handbags so as to run more efficiently and serve you better. I have a lot in store and can't wait to begin. But that's the hard part - knowing where to start!

Thanks for being such great customers and supporting Camille Star Handbags over the last two+ years. Let's do 2011 right together!