I’m just barely getting into the embellished headband thing. Having shorter hair I find I’m a little wary (more wary than I probably should be) about what I put on my head. (Baseball caps definitely don’t look good and it’s the rare beanie that works.) I’ve purchased one headband from JCrew that had the cutest, chunky rosette on the side—and when I went to wear it I looked like I had some tumorous growth on my scalp.

But when I saw the headbands by Etsy shoppe Lou and Lee I knew I had to give embellished headbands a second shot. How could I resist these fabulous felt creations? Fortunately Lou and Lee was willing to send me a sample headband so I could review their collection on Boutique Cafe’s Daily Dish. It took me mere seconds to decide on the Ruby Zipper Rosette Headband. (Anyone else catch how much it sounds like “ruby slipper”? I’ve always wanted a pair of those!) I chose to have the ruby zipper rosette with wool felt flowers and leaves put on an adult hard headband (i.e., your standard slightly padded black fabric headband). It arrived in a simple yet cute drawstring bag, and it didn’t take me long to run upstairs and try it on. Um, I’d say it’s a keeper—no tumorous growths…just a yummy red zippered rosette that perfectly adorned my short-haired head:

Now all I need is some help from a friend like Quinn to fill me in on all the different outfits with which I can wear my new favorite accessory!

Take a look at some of my other favorites from Lou and Lee and tell me if you wouldn’t have a terrible time trying to choose just one:

When you order you can specify a size: baby, child, adult or hard headband and all of Lou and Lee’s headbands can be made into any size or into a clip. I might be “investing” in a few clips for summer. Nothing beats the winter blues like new accessories! Who knew the same felt my kids use for their school projects could be so fabulous? Okay, so it’s not exactly the same felt and what Lou and Lee does takes a lot of time and skill, but I’ll never look at a package of felt the same way again!

You can view Lou and Lee’s entire collection of felt—and some non-felt—headbands in their Etsy shoppe.—Emily

Everything is coming up Roses! In the jaw dropping shop of Miss Ruby Sue on Etsy, owner Lori (mother of 4) creates the most stunning statement pieces to take any outfit from drab to FAB! These gorgeous necklaces are taking the fashion world by storm, and Lori’s creations have been featured in a number of high profile media outlets including: The View, Good Morning Ameria, The Today Show and more…

You can also find her “Angles Song’ and ‘Anthropology’ necklaces in select Anthropologie stores in the United States. As we gals know, a little Anthro goes a long way!

Of her company Lori says:
“Miss Ruby Sue radiates effortless charm in bold colors, artistic patterns and a free spirit to make any woman of any age stand-out.” And it’s true, I had the pleasure of receiving the Giddy Up Girl bib-style necklace featuring stunning handmade silk flowers, hot pink girly tulle, and oodles of special touches. At first I was afraid to wear it, it was just so breathtaking – but I quickly conquered that and rocked out a basic tee and jeans with my new “Ruby Sue” wonder. Everywhere I went people stopped to ask me where I got that incredible necklace, I honestly think Lori needs to ship 10-20 business cards with each piece she sells because trust me…you’ll be handing them out! The pieces are well made, and you can tell they are created with love and vision in mind.

For High Impact jewelry, look no further than the customized and specialized shop of Miss Ruby Sue on Etsy. She also offers lovely hairpieces and headbands that make the ideal holiday gift for someone dear in your life.

If you’re planning a wedding, Miss Ruby Sue will work with you to create a Bridal piece that is custom designed and colored for your day in the spotlight.

For your special day or any day, I highly recommend the styling of Miss Ruby Sue. The only question I have is which piece I want to order next! – Daria

**GIVEAWAY
Miss Ruby Sue is giving away one necklace of the winner’s choice to a very lucky Boutique Cafe reader! Here’s how to enter. You can do as many of these as you’d like. Each one is worth one entry into our giveaway (please leave a separate comment for each):

• Visit Miss Ruby Sue’s Shop on Etsy and leave a comment here telling us your favorite design or product.
• Follow Miss Ruby Sue on Twitter, and let her know that @BoutiqueCafe sent you.
  
• Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL of your tweet.


• Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL to your blog post.

Include a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: October 31, 2009 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.

******UPDATE: Congratulations to Brookllyn who has won our drawing for the necklace of choice from Miss Ruby Sue!! We know you will LOVE it. Many thanks to everyone who entered, tweeted and shared this review on your blogs, we love your support for our talented sellers.

What a perfect time for the perfect hair accessory!

I don’t do my hair very often but in the summer that doing drastically decreases. 99% of the time my hair is in a ponytail and the other 1% it is pulled back falling out of the ponytail during summer months.
I received 2 bondiband’s one patterned headband and the other a solid color. I was eager to accessorize my ponytail look and add some style! I have a very small head I’ve come to figure out. While the headband stayed in my head for an hour within two hours it was falling out. These headbands are better than most in that I get a good hour before it falls out. But, I do believe its my small head not the headband at fault here. I really do have quite the time finding fitted hats and headbands! So, I had friends try it out and they lasted all day with the headband not sliding off and not giving them a headache.
Because my ponytail style could use some style I was eager to accessorize with the headbands, but, because of my small head it won’t stay on my head all day. So, the way I use the bondiband is when I exercise. It is the ideal headband to keep my hair out of my face because it is so light and made of breathable material.
On the go gals this accessory is for you. Bondiband offers an array of colors and styles and it can complete any look.-Amber

Okay, it’s not really spring (oh, how I wish it were!) but it sure feels like spring in my girls’ bathroom. We recently received samples from Full Bloom, the new spring line from Goody arriving in Target stores this month, and the collection is full of flirty florals and feminine colors. It’s almost enough to make me throw on some shorts and a pair of flip-flops. If only it were 30 degrees warmer and not snowing I’d be all over that!

I wish I had images to show you but alas, I could only find a couple and they weren’t even on Goody’s site. (The headbands pictured are the Flower Child headwraps.) I checked Target.com but I believe the collection is available in stores only. As soon as I receive a few images I will update this post, as you have to see these fabulous headbands, clips, scarves and ponytail holders for yourself! You’ll get spring fever for sure. When they arrived I actually raided the box before my girls could get to it. I pulled out the Misty Morning scarf and He Loves Me bobby slides for myself before letting the girls have at the rest. I’d have grabbed the Sweet Blossom ponypins but if you’ve seen my profile pic you’ll know I have no way of using them!

Already my girls have worn the Spring Day headband quite a few times, probably because its super soft and stretchy (no headband headaches with that one) and the Wildflower headband, which is one of their favorites. My youngest, though not “mature” enough for a scarf, loves to walk around like a princess wearing the Rainbow Sorbet scarf around her shoulders. How does a 1-1/2-year-old girl know to do that? I swear they come programmed! What I really love about the new collection is all the soft fabric headbands. (My favorite is the Spring Showers band) I don’t care how much attention is paid to details when it comes to the standard headband—you just can’t avoid getting those behind-the-ear aches if you wear them for very long. Along with fun florals they have quite a few tie-dyed pieces, which are a lot of fun for moms and kids.

Goody’s Full Bloom collection also includes some really sweet clips. My favorites are the ones hiding in my drawer, the He Loves Me bobby slides. I also really like the Buttercup bobby slides and Robin’s Egg jeanwire. Believe it or not, I’ve probably only named about half the products in the new Full Bloom line. And even though they’re very “girly” many of the styles can be worn by 30-somethings like myself without looking like we’re not dressing our age. I don’t much like to share but when it comes to Goody’s Full Bloom hair accessories, I don’t mind so much (except for the aforementioned bobby slides…those are all mine!).

You can find the Full Bloom collection exclusively at Target stores from February to May. Prices range from $1.99 to $7.49. If you want to start thinking spring I’d start shopping the hair accessory aisle at Target immediately!—Emily

** Giveaway! Goody is giving away a gift set of products from their new Full Bloom collection! Please leave a comment with a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: February 26, 2009 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.

• Congratulations to Debbie H., the winner of the Goody giveaway! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the review and add a comment. Keep reading the Daily Dish for your chance to participate in more giveaways!

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