Blog

best shower faucet set

How to choose the best shower faucet set

The best way to start and end the day is by taking a bath. Taking a shower right after waking up makes you feel fresh the whole day, and repeating it in the evening after having a tiresome day relieves the stress and makes you feel comfortable. This is why you need to have the best shower faucet set that can serve you for long. Get your day on the right track by using the best products for showers to bath.

Maybe you are on a hunt for a new shower faucet set and don’t know how to get the best one? Sometimes it is hectic to choose the best. However, this can be a thing of the past if you know what you need. By this, I mean there are other bathroom features, and you want to match them with the new shower faucet set; you need to know the number of holes drilled to accommodate the faucet and many other features.

You can quickly determine the shower faucet you want to install in your bathroom with that in mind. Here are tips to take you through everything you should know when choosing the best shower faucet set to mount in your bathroom.

best shower faucet set

Tips to help you choose the best shower faucet set

Consider the suitable shower valves

Shower valves are the plumbing parts that regulate the water flow of bathing the tap. The valves are controlled by an escutcheon and a handle, making them invisible. They come in manual and thermostatic options, which are somehow similar.

The best shower valves should have a device that can turn off the water flow if it exceeds the average temperature. Another critical aspect the valves should possess is the ability to prevent your shower from scalding you and losing cold water when cold water is used somewhere else, or the toilet is flushed.

Considering the shower valves before buying a shower faucet will help you make the right choice.

Choose the type and configuration

When buying a shower faucet, you can decide to either pick the all-in-one combination that has both the bathtub and the shower tap or the solo shower head. There are five different types of shower taps which are:

Rain showers

They are directly placed above the user’s head and splash water down. They are practically flat and large in size.

Single head spray shower heads

These showerheads have four or more nozzles that are adjustable and splash water in patterns.

Hand-held shower heads

They have a mono head sprayer hooked to a movable hose. Hand-held shower heads are efficient for the hard-to-get places and to wash hair. They prove most effective to those who sit In the shower and with limited mobility.

Body sprays

These shower faucets have numerous spray heads which can be mounted on the shower wall. They are either flat or compact and almost flush with the wall’s surface.

Multiple and dual shower heads

They have more than a single showerhead, and a single set of levels regulates the option. In most cases, they are mounted on the wall and can allow the user to control one or both at the same time.

That gives you a variety of options to choose from, depending on your taste and preference.

Understand the water pressure

Water pressure in your bathroom matters a lot when choosing the shower faucet you need to buy. You can buy a tester and screw it on the shower arm instead of the showerhead to check the water pressure. Most shower heads water pressure lies between 40 to 60 pounds per square inch.

While determining the water pressure, it is good to remember that clogs, old pipes which have a diameter of more than half an inch, and leaks reduce the pressure.

This factor is vital in helping you decide the shower faucet set you need to buy. If you have that knowledge, you can make an informed choice.

best shower faucet set

Consider the durability

We always hope it will give us service for a more extended period when purchasing anything. Showers are highly affected by salty water, giving us an excellent reason to consider the materials used to make the final product. In most cases, clog affects showers, but if you can select showers built with clog resistance materials, you are guaranteed a durable shower.

Consider your budget

Your budget determines the type of shower faucet set you can acquire. It is advisable to look for a shower that is within your budget. Going for something that is beyond your capacity leads to inconveniences. That means you will have to forego some other essential issues to accommodate the shower if it exceeds your budget.

Keep your expenditure within your budget and look for the correct shower faucet set. Faucets go for an average cost between $147 and $ 351. While purchasing the faucet, it is wise to remember the installations costs and maybe other renovations.

Consider accessories

There are various accessories to choose from. These accessories give you a hint about the faucet set you need. They include:

-Diverters

They shift the water flow from the spout to the showerhead where they are located. You activate the shower by pulling the diverters upward.

-Anti-scald valves

These valves prevent a sudden burst of water temperature in case somebody else in the house flushes the toilet.

-Hand showers

With hand showers, bathtub cleaning and rinsing off becomes much more manageable. However, you will need an extra hole in the wall to install it.

-Pressure balancing valves

These valves regulate the water temperature when the pressure drops abruptly.

Conclusion

Choosing the best shower faucet set depends on the consideration of the above-detailed factors. Knowing the pressure of the bath tap, the budget you had, the accessories, the configuration and type of the faucet, the suitable shower valves, and the durability of the shower will help you make the right choice. This is a guarantee of a quality shower purchase.

One Of Those (Our All Natural Food and Lifestyle Journey)

Yup, we are one of those people. The people that shop at farmers’ markets, eat organic foods, drink raw milk, rub essentials oils all over themselves, use all natural cleaning products, make their own deodorants, promote breastfeeding, and the likes of that. And to tell you the truth, I never thought I’d become “one of those” but I did and I am so thankful that I am. To boil it down as to why we decided to walk this path almost 5 years ago is simply this: to be healthy, free of sickness, and to care for the earth as best and humanely as we can.

That’s what it comes down to. To live a long and healthy life for me and my family. I know the Lord could take us away any time, any day. But I know I can also try to avoid and prevent sickness and disease from being one of the reasons of leaving this world. If you knew how to do that, wouldn’t you do it?

This whole journey started for us when Gavin was born. I believe that’s when a lot of moms started realizing the food they were eating and were about to give to their babies. It is pretty terrifying to learn what is actually in processed foods, what chemicals are laced on our produce, and the type of treatment and poison that is being fed to the animals that are inhumanely slaughtered and then given to us to eat. I watched the documentaries and cried and vowed to change our ways.

Obviously, this doesn’t happen overnight. It took us 4 years to become 100% organic in our consumption. It is very costly BUT let me put it to you this way: I would rather spend the extra money upfront to be healthy rather than spend that extra money later on medical bills. You get what I’m saying? We changed our budget around to make food one of the top priorities of where our money goes to each month. That means no getting nails done, hair done, clothes shopping for me except here and there. We only eat out once every other week. I can’t even tell you the last time we went to see a movie. I pack lunches everywhere we go. And I’m very happy to do it.

Do we slip on our diet occasionally? YES! Very much so. Especially when I’m in school and can’t cook all the time. But that’s where the oils and vitamins and supplements come in whenever our diet is not very good.

I’m just here to write my testimony, not write out the facts. I’ll leave you a lot of links to websites for that! My testimony is this: Ben and I have not been sick in over 2 years except for the occasional colds and Gavin hadn’t been sick in over a year (and he goes to school full time). Gavin hadn’t seen his doctor in over a year except for his wellness check-ups for his birthdays. And we don’t get the flu shot. Ben has digestion issues but when we stick ot a gluten-free and paleo diet, he has no problems at all. I break out in rashes quite often but if I stick to gluten-free, my flare ups are few and in between. Isn’t that amazing?

God is so good. When he made us, he gave us everything we needed on this earth to care for ourselves. That is not to say we don’t see the doctor – we do! I am so thankful for doctors, surgeons, hospitals, I truly am! I believe that there are some amazing life saving things that they are able to do in an emergency and I am so glad that they are there. But our doctor is not who we call up right when we get the sniffles. We battle out the sickness with foods and oils first and 9 times out of 10, that’s all we need to do.

So to all of you that are “one of those”, I made two prints that are FREE to download. They’re my two favorites when I think about this lifestyle that we are on.

foodquotes

I love the first one. Knowing that food is your medicine is not a new thing. We’ve forgotten that food heals us but as technology advanced, we’ve focused one how to do things faster, how to make more of it, and how to make it cheap, food is now destroying us.

The second one should ring true to most of us. I travel to a lot of different grocery stores every week to get food. Or I’ll drive to somebody’s house to pick up co-op meat or produce. And then once every other month, I will drive 2 hours away to a raw milk farm to buy gallons of milk and eggs. Who knew that all this traveling for food would be bibilical?

You can download the Hippocrates here and Proverbs 31:14 here.

Resources
Documentaries to watch: Food Inc. and Food Matters and they’re both on Netflix. Netflix has a lot of great food documentaries so just watch them all. 🙂

Living Water Health and Wellness: My dearest friend, Brandy, writes an amazing blog about her journey in holistic and biblical living. She has a lot of great posts for those who are just starting out on this journey. She is my #1 resource for anything and everything!

Find a Food Co-Op in your area

Find a Raw Milk Farm in your area

Young Living Essential Oils: we buy and use Young Living essential oils for headaches, tummy troubles, fevers, muscle soreness to helping you sleep,

giving you energy, and taking away stress. I cannot live without my oils! And word of advice, don’t buy the oils that are carried in the stores…they are not 100% therapeutic and most of them have other chemicals mixed in…yikes!

Modern Alternative Mama: This is another great blog with a lot of resources and articles on holistic living!

Make your own deodorant: did you know aluminum is now linked to being with of the factors that causes breast cancer? You can read about it here. I find that the natural deodorants in the store don’t keep the BO away and you’ll need to reapply often. I’ve started making my own and it works SO MUCH BETTER!

Against All Grain: my favorite paleo and gluten-free recipes can be found here. This is how we eat at home. And Danielle’s story is amazing! If you or someone you know suffers from Ulcerative Colitis, please read and share!

If you guys think of anything else I should post a link to, let me know! And if you ever have questions, you can email me at ftlojoy (at) gmail (dot) com.

Good health to everyone!

Hello, Let’s Talk About Breastfeeding (And A Sale)

So it’s been awhile. Over 8 months to be exact. I got engaged and that was the end of blogging for the time being. I didn’t want to stop but with taking care of my family, going to school, working on FTLOJ, and planning a wedding, it was necessary. I even stopped reading other people’s blogs. That’s when you know you’re REALLY busy.

A lot had happened. One being I got married to my best friend and baby daddy of 7 years. The other being that I am retiring all custom orders. I will talk about both of these soon but today I wanted to share my breastfeeding story. If you didn’t know, August 1-7 is World Breastfeeding Week. I had never written about my breastfeeding experience and thought this was the perfect time to share and to offer encouragement.

4.5 years ago, when I was pregnant with Gavin, I knew right away I wanted to breastfeed. At that time, I knew nothing about living naturally like I do now so my decision to breastfeed was not because of the nutrition and health of my baby. My husband (then boyfriend) and I were two college students, working part-time, making minimum wage, when we got pregnant. I wanted to breastfeed because it was FREE. Nobody told me how hard breastfeeding was. They told me how hard the labor and delivery would be but never told me about breastfeeding. I read pamphlets about nursing and thought, well that’s that. Uh, WRONG. When was born, the doctor gave him to me to nurse right away and he had a very good latch. The boy loves to eat and still does today so he was a pro at nursing me from day 1. It was me who had the problem.

My milk didn’t come in for 5 days. He was losing weight too fast and the doctor didn’t like that. I went to a breastfeeding consultant and she told me I was doing everything right but didn’t know why my milk hadn’t come in yet. She told me to keep nursing him when it was his time to eat for at least 20 minutes on each side and then supplement him with formula. Again, I didn’t know anything about formula like I do now but back then I knew I didn’t want to give it to him. It looks processed and unnatural (duh, cause it is!). But I was a worried, tired, sore mama who wanted her hungry baby to eat.

Breastfeeding

Can I say how painful it is when your milk first comes in? I had a pretty easy labor and delivery (hospital, epidural, pushed in 12 minutes, done. However, if we have another baby, it’ll be birthing center, no pain medicine, and hopefully still push in 12 minutes. Or better yet, I hope the baby just falls out!), I was healing really well from my delivery, I was surviving alright on less than 3 hours of sleep a night. But the milk? Holy Cow. I cried. I Ibuprofened. I took hot showers. I pumped. I guess my body had stored up so much milk since it came late that it all just flooded down at one time. Eventually, it got better but I still remember to this day how painful and uncomfortable it was.

Yay, milk was here. All would be better now, right? Wrong, again. I was not making enough milk for my hungry little baby. I was on the feeding schedule like everyone had suggested. Every 2-3 hours, 20 minutes on each side. But it was not enough. He wanted more, more, more. I was a first time mom. I was also the first one of my friends to have a baby. I had no support group at that time, no church community to contact. I was basically on my own and didn’t know what to do. I wanted to give up. Itwould be so much easier to give up. Life would be wonderful if I didn’t have to deal with this anymore. He could eat however much formula he wanted and finally be satisfied. But deep down, I knew I couldn’t do it. I was this boy’s mama. God gave me the body to grow him and then to nourish him. I wanted to nourish him for a long time.

For the next two months, I threw away his feeding schedule and nursed on demand. I literally nursed every hour, every day, for two months. I nursed all day long. That boy was on a boob all the freaking time. I nursed all night long. Me and my husband were sleeping on a full size mattress and it was not enough room for us and a baby. So I had to kick out the husband basically every night so Gavin could sleep next to me and nurse me any time he wanted. Poor husband had to sleep on the couch cause we only had one bedroom at the time!

Finally, it happened. I don’t remember the day when I realized this but I finally had enough milk for every feeding that I could finally space out his eating times. I can’t even tell you what a sense of accomplishment I felt. My body was finally in sync with my baby and it was a great relief.

When he was 9 months old, I went back to school and he stayed with a good friend of mine who is a stay at home mom. I pumped a lot for those times I was gone but it wasn’t enough. I eventually started losing my milk supply. I had to eventually start supplementing with formula again but during this time, I had learned a little bit about natural living and was giving him organic formula. He was almost a year old when I nursed him for the last time. I remember his last feeding and it was the saddest day. Our favorite time to nurse was in the morning right when he got up and in the middle of the night when the whole house was quiet. I still remember those sweet little noises he made when he drank and just the way we would snuggle and bond during that time. He’s almost 5 now and I just cannot believe how fast the years go by. It is truly bittersweet.

So this is my breastfeeding story. Now I know not every mom can nurse on demand every hour like I did. I was working at home at the time so I was still pretty busy but I still had the time to be able to nurse him the way I did. When I was at school, it was too hard to just run out of class and pump which is why my milk supply started to dry up. And I know lots of moms out there are in that same situation where you have to go back to work and you can’t take three 30 minute breaks to pump during your shift. And I know there are a lot of moms who are struggling much worse than I did with nursing. Besides the first time my milk came in, my breasts were never sore and never got infected. I’ve seen first hand from my best friend how painful it can be when that happens. Pain that is unbearable and you just have to grit your teeth to get through it. There are many reasons, not excuses, to why moms have to give up breastfeeding even though they tried really hard. It is a heartbreaking situation.

 

Breastfeeding

But you don’t have to turn to commercial formula! There is a much better alternative. My best friend had to give up on breastfeeding her 4 month old daughter when she was pregnant with her son. Instead of using processed, manufactured formula that is missing all the nutrition and vitamins a baby needs to grow healthy in all areas of their bodies, she started making Goat Milk Formula which is very close to mother’s milk. She would buy the milk from a farm and add good fats such as coconut oil and cod liver oil, Vitamin C, probiotics for a healthy digestive system, and so on. Her daughter is now 20 months old and has never been seriously sick and is a very healthy little girl and I attribute that to her goat milk formula and the natural and organic foods that she eats. So if you need to stop breastfeeding, I would tell you to seriously consider making your own formula. If I had known about this when I was supplementing, I would’ve done it in a heart beat. It does take time because you are preparing it yourself, but I believe it to be worth it for your baby’s health. My friend made her recipe from the Weston A. Price Foundation.

The boppy cover was heaven sent for me. I knew nothing about them until after I started nursing. Imagine me already distressed from nursing but also hunched over my baby with an achy back. Also, Gavin would only nap on the boppy for about the first 4 months of his life. The Boppy Pillow is definitely my number one recommendation for new moms.

One of my very first items I offered in my shop was the Quilted Patchwork Boppy Cover. I started creating covers because I wanted my boppy cover to match my house and I figured most would want that too. It became a hit and I think I’ve made hundreds of boppy covers in the last 3 1/2 years. I am sad to say that on September 1, I will no longer be offering those. I’ve created a new cover design and am taking my shop in a different direction design-wise so it’s time to retire the patchwork covers. However, there is still a month left! And from August 1-7, 10% of all my sales will go to benefit the Tarrant County Breastfeeding Coalition. Also for August 1-7, take 15% off anything in the shop using coupon code “IHEARTMILK”. Visit For The Love Of Joy to check it out!

I hope I have encouraged someone out there who is struggling with breastfeeding. It is very hard work. Not only did you sacrifice 10 months to carry your baby, but then you have to sacrifice almost another year to feed them. Your body is so strong to be able to do those things and with prayer and perseverance, I believe you can conquer all your struggles!

Hope Spoken Link Up

My name is Anna Joy French. I am a wife, mom, soon-to-be college graduate, trained graphic/web designer, and a self-taught seamstress. I recently married my boyfriend of 8 years and the papa of my son. That is a whole God redeeming story that deserves a post on it’s own. I am a mama to a very energetic and independent 4 year old who loves to build legos and puzzles. I am about to graduate from the University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communications AKA Graphic Design. I will start work full time as a graphic/web designer for a marketing company in December. And last but not least, I run For The Love of Joy, where I made Child’s Name Pillows and Patchwork Boppy Covers for the last 4 years. This next year, I will be focused more on designing quilt patterns, fabrics, and teaching what I know about quilting to others who are just starting out! I live in Texas and love being outdoors camping and hiking with my family. I love animals and wish I had a farm and could do that full time. I am a “crunchy” mom that buys all organic foods, drinks raw milk, and rubs essential oils on her family. And that’s about it!

Anna Joy

I am so excited to go to Hope Spoken. I recently found out about this conference a couple of months ago. I had no idea that it was happening mainly in part because I haven’t read blogs or followed much of anyone awesome in so long due to my busy-ness. But when I found out about it and that it was in Dallas, I knew I had to go! From this event, I hope to take away stronger relationships with women I already know and build new relationships with friends I will make through Jesus. I pray that we can experience together an amazing, in your face, God moment that we will remember always. I hope to be broken and renewed when it is all over.

I am a shy person. As in, I don’t like to open up about my personal life. I can talk about anything else but when it comes to my heart, it is very hard to share…even with my own husband and closes friends. I am trusting in the Lord and giving Him that fear daily because I know the story he has written for my life is very important to share. I know He doesn’t want me to bottle it up and because I love Him, I will tell everyone what He has done for me. And I hope my story glorifies Him and encourages others!

Something random about me…I drink coffee morning, noon, and night without it affecting my sleep cycle (probably cause I am immuned to caffeine!), I always choose the food I eat by how crunchy the texture is…the crunchier the better, and sometimes I wish I could be on the cast of SNL because I think to make people laugh is the best.

See you all at Hope Spoken!

Song’s Quilt + Pattern (and giveaway)

Last year, Ashley asked if I would make a quilt for her and her daughter that she was adopting. Of course, I gladly said yes. We looked over a couple of quilt patterns and then I told her I was wanting to make a herringbone quilt and to write up a pattern for it. She was totally on board with the idea and that’s how Song’s quilt was born.

Song's Quilt

I’ve “known” Ashley for a while now. About 3 years and a half. I kind of have a sense of of what her style is. I knew she liked bold patterns and bright colors so I based that on the fabrics I chose. She is also a lover of vintage which was how I chose the vintage sheet for the back.

Song's Quilt

Photo by Ashley Ann Photography

During the time I was designing and making her quilt, she sent me a picture of Song so I could see who I was making this quilt for. I always kept Song in my heart while working but mostly I thought of Ashley. I don’t know how it feels to wait for your child on the other side of the world. To know she is there for you to have but you can’t go to her yet. To yearn for her to be in your arms but the time hasn’t come for you to do that.

Song's Quilt

But in the midst of that pain when you are away from your child, such wonderful things have happened along the way. Thousands of dollars were donated to help fund life saving surgeries for children who were not able to afford it. Encouragement and prayers from strangers were said daily. And to read about the strength of a mother who continued on with her life of helping others and teaching her children to do the same was convicting, encouraging, and a blessing.

Song's Quilt

Photo by Ashley Ann Photography

I felt the herringbone pattern was the perfect metaphor of the “ups” and “downs” of waiting and being patient.

Rightfully so, I named the quilt “My Song”.

Song's Quilt

I am giving away 3 patterns to 3 lucky winners. You have up to the 3 entries:

1. Leave me a comment telling me what was the hardest thing you had to wait for (serious or funny).
2. Follow my blog
3. Follow my FB page.

Giveaway will end next Wednesday, July 10 at 11:59 pm. I’ll draw 3 names on July 11. Good luck!

And for those who don’t feel like waiting (haha), the pattern is in the shop and is set at an intro price of $5 for the first 5 customers. SOLD OUT! Now set at the original price.

And if you don’t sew and would like me to make you this quilt, contact me!

Thank you, Ashley, for allowing me a part in your journey. I hope you, Little One, and the whole family will love this quilt for ages and ages.

xo,
Anna Joy

Privileges {Give 1, Save 1}

It is a privilege for me to stand in front of a mirror and take goofy pictures of myself on my fancy camera.

It is a privilege for me to make my son a superhero cape and let him run around in it in only his pull ups (tutorial for the cape is coming by the way).

It is a privilege for me to make these Name Pillows to bring joy to other people.

It is a privilege for me to spend the day with my son and Honey and compare their facial expressions.

These day to day things I take for granted all the time but I am quietly reminded throughout the day that there are others who do not have these privileges to take advantage of. My heart breaks for those children who have no family and are forced on their own, to survive on their own, and they are only a couple of years older than Gavin. I’ve had these feelings for sometime but have not taken action over them.

I know most of you read Ashley’s blog, Under The Sycamore. Were you not moved by her incredible story on Monday? To see how God can move incredible mountains ($40,000 mountains to be exact) and the selfless act of giving half away to a friend…I couldn’t help but cry. After that post, I knew I had to step up and support those families who are trying to bring their children home to them. Yesterday, Ashley posted this link on Facebook that caught my attention right away.

This illustration was designed by the amazing Stephanie Fizer Coleman, a supporting artist for Beth Cupitt’s new vision. The two little girls are drawings of Beth’s children that she is trying to bring home. The mission: To donate a dollar per week to a family who are trying to adopt. It doesn’t sound like a lot and how can a dollar really help? Just see for yourself:

“…your dollar will be saving and restoring lives in all kinds of ways. in ethiopia one in six children don’t live to be five years old. there is a desperate need for basic food, clean water, and medicine. removing a child from an orphanage gives that child a family and a future, something everyone needs. it also frees up a bed in an orphanage for a street child. your dollar will change lives and save lives in ways you may never know.”

That is not asking for a lot. A dollar a week. $4 a month. That’s the price of a grande iced chai tea with soy that I can easily give up to help those who need it more than I do.

So on your lunch break or after you put your kiddos down for a nap, take literally 2 minutes to click on the “Donate” button on her website and it’ll direct you to Paypal and you can go from there. Donate $1 or donate more if you feel lead to it.

Thank you, Ashley, for your incredible testament that nothing is too big for our God to handle and thank you, Beth, for opening up a place for families to receive help and for us to take a small part in their journey.

Happy Wednesday!

xoxo,
Anna

Foodie {Baked Zucchini Fries with Cilantro and Green Onion Noodles}

For my lunches, I like to eat light. Like really like. Sometimes I’ll just cut up a Roma tomato and sprinkle it with pepper and garlic salt and eat that with some pretzels. This is my favorite lunch to make and it leaves me full but not too full where I want to go to sleep!

Baked Zucchini Fries with Cilantro and Green Onion Noodles

Cilantro and Green Onion Noodles
-A box of your favorite noodles (we used the mini wheels – G’s favorite)
-Fresh cilantro
-Green onions
-Olive oil
-Parmesan cheese

Cook your noodles as directed. I use the whole box. That way it’ll be ready to eat whenever I want! Chop up cilantro and green onions. Use as much as you like. I love both so I always put a lot in. Combine them in a big tupperware container. Then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and black pepper. Cover your container, shake it up, and there you have. Noodles whenever you need them!

ACK so simple but soooo good.

Baked Zucchini Fries

I used this recipe from Our Best Bites. Oh my. They are delicious.

Combine them both for a heavenly meal.

Have a lovely Thursday!

xoxo,
Anna

Hoop Tutorial, Other Things, and a Proposition for YOU!

Hanging up embroidery hoops have become very popular. They make for great wall art. Heck, I love making them!

Hoop Tutorial

Hoop Tutorial

Hoop Tutorial

Making the front is great but how do you seal up the back? There are a lot of great tutorials out there but I wanted to show y’all how I do it.

First things first, I leave a lot of extra fabric in the back. It makes it easy to hot glue it down to the hoop. You can trim it after you’re done, if you so desire.

Hoop Tutorial

Hoop Tutorial

 

Hoop Tutorial

After you glue the fabric down onto the hoop, turn it over and trace the circle on the back of pretty scrapbook paper.

Hoop Tutorial

 

Trim off any access with an x-acto knife or scissors.

Voila, you’re done! Easy peasy, right?

Now onto the other things! I subscribe to Fabricworm’s newsletter and tonight they sent out one showcasing this new fabric line from Jay McCarroll. O.M.G.

I usually don’t fall in love with one line instantly (except for this one) but I fell hard for this. I want it soooo bad! I’m going to wait a little bit though. Maybe make a couple of more sells and THEN, I’ll buy it. Isn’t it yummy? It’s the perfect combination of organic, industrial, and geometric. And I am loving this color palette so much. ACK! I want now!

I discovered Darlingtonia Moccasin Company yesterday and I am in love with it. Someone please buy me a pair of these moccasins!

Hoop Tutorial

Katie is the creative genius behind these pretty little shoes. She has an amazing blog filled with such beautiful photos and great inspiration. Go by and check her out…and buy a pair of moccasins!

Now I know most blogs offer ad sponsorships to promote small businesses and blogs. It seems like everyone is doing it nowadays! I think sponsorships are a great way to get your name out there and I am proud to be sponsoring these ladies right now.

Duh. Ashley Ann’s Under The Sycamore.

My newest sponsorship over at Gussy Sews. Eep! I just love this sassy girl! She is my business role model!

My dear bloggy friend, Danielle from Take Heart. Love reading about her life…it reminds me a lot of mine!

My new bloggy friend, Kim from Yellow Songbird. We both have shops with the word “joy” in it! Happy happy joy joy!

An oldie (but goodie) blogger friend, Sandy from Sandyalamode. This girl has got some style! I need her to become my personal shopper!

I am sponsoring them because 1. I believe in what they are doing with their blogs and businesses and 2. well, they’re all just such lovely ladies and I wish we all lived closer so we could go get coffee and have crafting parties together!

Right now, I don’t offer advertising on my blog. I want my blog to actually become worthy of advertisement for others. I do, however, have another proposition. If you have a blog or a small business that you would like me to feature on here, please shoot me an email at thejoycottage [dot] gmail [dot] com. Give me the link of your shop or blog, a short bio on who you are and what you are trying to do, and whatever else you would want to tell me. I will do a feature every Friday and I hope you can become a part of it!

Well folks, that’s all I got for today. Happy Friday!

xoxo,
Anna Joy