Lovely Rita..Not the Meter Maid

Ok, I know, bad Beatles reference there lol, but I like my catchy post titles!

It's Lovely Rita Wilcox! Or Aunt Rita as she's know to the owners of Rita Wilcox Jewelry and Accessories. There's all kinds of things that you can shop for on their site from their well known bags to clothing to jewelry. Most things can be personalized (embroidered personalization) such as the handbags and clothing.

I had the honor to try out one of their Quilted Tote bags. One of their more simpler styled bags but a very good bag indeed. The one I tried out is this one with the Pink stitching but there is also black w/black stitching and brown with orange stitching. I like the black with the Pink stitching, to me it's more classic. Now, I'm usually more of a "small purse" person. I have my messenger bag and I use that one mainly when I'm out w/the kids so I can bring extra Pull Ups and such (I just love potty training). So, back to the topic here...this is a bit bigger than what I usually use for a handbag. It's got on zippered pocket inside and is has a zippered closure. Surprisingly, even with all my crap, it carried very lightly. Whether on the shoulder or just handling it by its handles, it almost seemed like I had nothing in it at all. Usually I get weighed down by all my crap but not with this bag. Very easy to handle! The only thing I would have liked to have in this bag is a couple more pockets. Like one for my cell phone etc. Not on the outside because it would take away from the look, but on this inside. That's just my personal preference...it may not be yours. This bag sells for $38 and you have the option of personalization (initials) for $10 more. There is also a larger version of this bag that sells for $50 and is wider than this one.

Here's some examples of other handbags on the site. Like these messenger bags...hands free since you can sling them over the shoulder (which is what I do with mine). Normally $45, they are on sale for $20..hey ladies that's over 50% off! And, my mother in law would probably like this one, this Nautical straw tote ($49). It just screams take me to the beach.

There's plenty of nice handbags (and other things) on the Rita Wilcox site. You can even become a consultant and host a Rita Party!

Saints N Sinners

I want to welcome a new advertiser to Products of the Day...Barbe Saint John and her Saints & Sinners store. Barbe makes fantastic jewelry from vintage items..she also makes homespun yarn and mixed media art.













We actually did a trade :-) I was able to get this fabulous necklace..and let me tell you it took me 2 days to decide on what I wanted to get. It's called "Birds Sing Sweeter in Summertime." This is a mixed media piece with the cute sparrow bead, the resin birds in a tree piece, vintage beads and a wonderful quartz stone. How Barbe was able to find all these different things in the same blue color is amazing lol. One thing I just love about it is that each side of the necklace is a different chain. I just love this necklace. Chunkier necklaces are not usually my style but I ended up loving it when I got it.


Here are some of the other pieces that I was trying to choose from.














This cute little piece with Cardinals sitting on a branch (and you all know I love Cardinals) is called Lisa & Ethel Gossip Time. The birds are lampwork figures and they sit in little wired nests. Their "tree branch" is actually a piece of black coral. Lucy & Ethel are $45.

















Then there's these Paris at Night earrings. They are made with vintage French brass charms, antique brass chain and antique beads. What's unique about these earrings is that they each have their own image on the focal part. I just thought these were cool and I love the blue color. Paris at Night will run you $34




















Barbe also has this collection of necklaces called Wunderlust. Each piece has an etched disk with a vintage piece of map (protected by resin). The one I loved was the Paris piece in Sterling Silver. This line is just simple yet so unique. If Barbe ever makes on of Rome (hint hint hint), then I will probably have to buy it :-) The Wanderlust necklaces range in price from $43 to $60. This one of Paris is $60



You will find much more at Saints & Sinners. Feel free to click any link here in the post or scroll down to the Shop Shop Shop section and click on Barbe's banner. Just let me know what you bought wink wink.

I Don't Mind Falling in This Crater

A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from Sharonn over at Crater Lake Company. She has lovely bath and body products and wanted to know if I'd try them out. You know me, I love bath and body stuff :-)

I perused the site (and the scents) and told her what I would love to try. So, Sharonn sent me her Flutter Butter, Triple Action Body Buffer and True Luster Conditioner. Sharonn has some really good Pink Sugar blends (I have Dark Pink & Bright Pink) and they smell as good as they sound. If you read my blog, then you know I'm pretty much addicted to Pink Sugar so this made me very very happy :-)

The Flutter Butter, I must say, is one of the best lotions I have ever tried. Now, when I try any lotion product for review here on Products..I always test it on my feet first. I have the worst feet, and lately my skin down there has been dry dry dry..so dry that even my beloved PedEgg can't get it all. I put the Flutter Butter on before bed and the next morning there was a very noticeable difference in the condition of my feet. This is very good stuff and there's good stuff in it. The Flutter Butter has alot of natural ingredients and yet still has a nice smooth..easy to apply consistency. It sinks into the skin without leaving any greasy feeling. The scent I got is Sugar Cookie..to me it smells more like an almond cookie than sugar cookie..but it smells good all the same. A 4 ounce jar will run you $9.95 but a little goes a long way. Plus, it's just a dam good lotion!

The Triple Action Body Buffer caught my eye because it's got European Sea Salts, White sugar and ground Apricot Seed. And, as the website description says, it feels like wet sand. It's very scoopable and I did not lose alot to the shower floor. Normally, I have problems w/salt scrubs because I always have a hangnail, but this one did not sting me at all. It has a great scrubbiness (you know I like my grit) and leaves your skin nice and moisturized. It does not leave you greasy or looking like you applied Rain X to yourself but it left my skin moisturized enough that I did not need lotion at all. The only thing that gave me trouble was trying to get the ground apricot seeds rinsed out of the tub. But, you live with little things if the big picture is great. It will leave your tub a bit slippery, but alot less than other scrubs that I've used. A 5 ounce jar is priced at $7.95 which is pretty average for 5 ounces of any scrub.

Now, I'm always skeptical about trying out handmade hair conditioner. I color my hair and I'm very particular about slathering the conditioner on so my hair doesn't get dried out. I usually like it thick and when I apply it to my wet hair I like it to feel nice and soft. So, when I tried the Triple Luster Conditioner, I was very surprised. It isn't thick that the type of conditioner I usually use, yet it really left my hair soft and manageable. I was impressed when I got out of the shower and brushed my hair that I needed NO DETANGLER! It really did a great job on my hair. The first ingredient is Aloe Vera..no water, no alcohol..and that really impresses me. I wish more mainstream brands would realize that all that crap isn't always necessary. And, you don't need to use too much. I have long hair and I realized after a couple of uses that I didn't need as much as I thought I did. You can get this in 2 ounce, 4 ounce or 8 ounce bottles. The 2 ounce is $5.45, the 4 ounce is $7.95 and the 8 ounce is $11.95. Plus, you can get it in any scent...so your hair smells the way you want it.

I know that I try out alot of Bath & Body products, but Crater Lake really impressed me. They use good ingredients and the products really exceeded my expectations. I know that some etailer products are more expensive than what you find in the store, but from my experience brand names don't always make quality products. To me, quality is always the most important thing and Crater Lake really has that quality.