Today’s featured Mompreneur is Lisa J. Lehmann of StudioJewel. I got to know Lisa via Twitter a long time ago, and when I got sick, she designed me a custom medical bracelet, that I wear every day. I finally met Lisa in person at the BlissDom conference this winter, and she is such a beautiful person, inside and out, and I feel lucky to have gotten to know her. Besides creating jewelry – Lisa’s passion is to help people and raise awareness, and many of her pieces are dedicated to raise awareness (and collect funds) to her selected charities and causes.

Katja: Lisa, introduce StudioJewel for those who might not know it yet.

Lisa: StudioJewel is a mom-owned metal art jewelry studio based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Born out of my passion to create, a background in fine art and a strong desire to be home with my four children. Each StudioJewel design is conceptualized and handcrafted by me, lisa j lehmann.

Katja: What is your best Mother’s Day memory?

Lisa: One of my most favorite Mother’s Day memories was also one of the most simple, laid back Mother’s Days ever. We had a picnic in the park next to rambling brook. I was 5 months pregnant for my third child and my then 2 & 3 year old kids played with bubbles and frisbees and balls. It was a beautiful spring day and everyone was just happy. It still warms my soul to think of it!

Katja: If you could choose anything in the world, what would be your ideal Mother’s Day Gift?

Lisa: Ha…for my now 13, 12, 9 and 7 year old children to never fight or argue with each other again!!! Seriously though…this year i want a FLIP or an iTouch…very, very badly. I’ve tried to win one a hundred ways…but no such luck!

Katja: Which one of your products is the best seller for mothers?

Lisa: My Mom necklace is consistently an excellent seller…it has been a great piece to express those people the nearest and dearest to your heart! I love the center tag on this necklace, it is shown stamped with the word FAMILY, but I have stamped last names, or the word BLESSED – it is a heavy piece of silver and adds great substance and depth to this piece. But another great selling piece are my set of bangles. Five sterling silver bangles gently wrapped in 14 karat gold vermeil. One bangle can be stamped with a word, or words of your choice…kids names perhaps?

Virtual Mother’s Day Gift for Lisa

What can I say… Lisa makes this one pretty easy, huh? I would gift Lisa a FLIP camera with Pink accents and actually give it to her kids first for a week to record their messages already in the camera for Lisa. Oh by the way… stay tuned for the Skimbaco Lifestyle Mother’s Day Giveaways… One lucky mom will win a FLIP camera!

Beach Soap Set in Sisal Pouch ($18) will give mom a luxury experience in shower or bath every day. The soaps are scented with Ocean Mist, fragrance that is reminiscent of the clean, crisp ocean air. Created by our featured Mompreneur Marla Bosworth. By purchasing this gift, you will help support native artisans in the Philippines who produce this elegant, natural, sustainable packaging.

The generously sized San Francisco Backside bag ($169) by Ella Vickers is mom’s everything-bag – it works as a diaper bag, beach bag, travel bag or laptop bag. The bag is made of recycled sailcloth. I love the nautical look, and the eco-friendly concept of creating products of old sails. I don’t know if handbags of recycled material have ever looked so fresh before Ella Vickers!

I have the Silver Initial Necklace ($60) from The Thoughtful Gallery and I get so many compliments for it. On the other side you can get initial and a birthstone and on the other side of the hand carved pendant there is maple leaf imprint. This initial necklace is ecological design, made of precious metal clay, which is reclaimed silver from film negatives and x-rays.

Tees for Change ($32) is a different kind of t-shirt shop. For each t-shirt sold they plant a tree and the tees and tanks are made from 100% organic cotton or a super soft 70% bamboo/30% organic cotton blend. The company raises ecological awareness and encourages positive thinking and the tees are high quality and super comfy. Can you ask for more?

Tom’s Shoes Denim Rope Shoes ($55) are a perfect gift for an Earth Mama. Great shoes for those trips to farmer’s market or for playgrounds with kids. Nice espradillos look but with rubber soles. And did you know that for every pair of shoes sold Tom’s Shoes donate a pair of shoes for a child in need? Now that’s something every mom likes to know.

These green recycled glasses are made from the bottom halves of recycled Bordeaux wine bottles. A beautifully silk-screened branch design is accompanied by the phrase ‘Protect Our Earth’ in four languages: English, Spanish, Afrikaans/South African and French. $45 for set of four.

FLIP Mino HD camcorder ($229.99) is now available personalized with your own photo! Mom will love this sleek and easy to use camcorder and she can easily fit the FLIP her purse and have it ready to shoot at all times to record those important moments.

Tip: Fill the camera with your own video & message to mom before giving.

The Ultimate Mom: Uplifting Stories, Endearing Photos, and the Best Experts’ Tips on the Toughest Job You’ll Ever Love ($9.56) by Maria Bailey is the perfect gift book for any mom. Collection of stories from diverse group of moms about motherhood. Written by one of my dear friends Maria Bailey, whose one of the newest projects if the National Mom’s Nite Out

Gourmet Strawberry cake from We Take The Cake ($47), a gourmet bakery from Florida, is the perfect thing to crown the mother’s day dinner. The strawberry cake is filled with cream cheese frosting and fresh strawberry slices, frosted with cream cheese frosting and topped with white chocolate curls. You might also want to try their chocolate cake, or the cupcakes.. All equally delicious.

The new Kodak EasyShare ESP 7 All-in-One Printer ($186) is the ultimate wireless printer for your momma’s house. It easily takes on all of the family’s printing jobs, big and small. Mom will save money printing all those family photos at home, but also on ink – check out from Print & Prosper how much mom can save $$ on ink each year.

Michele Baratta is a known jewelry designer, and this Potrait of Love Photo Necklace ($179) of her collection is one of my favorites, and also one of her best sellers. Mom can keep her loved ones close to her heart in this silver pendant, with a Tiffany style chain. Michele Baratta is one of our featured Mompreneurs this Mother’s Day season, read her interview.

EyesLipsFace.com. is a great source to find makeup and beauty products to pamper mom without spending a fortune. The makeup kit pictured is only 15$ and they have so many gift ideas starting under 5 bucks each. My favorites are the lip balms and lipsticks, I like to have one per each purse, so I never find myself without! Oh and by the way, the e.l.f. lip glosses don’t just look like candy – it tastes like candy too!

Sterling Silver Plain Band Ring with clear Cubic Zirconia ($85) is a fun ring for mom to use everyday. It’s simple to look elegant, yet it sparkles nicely. Designed by Lisa J. Lehmann, one our featured jewelry designers.

We Take The Cake Chocolate Gourmet Cake ($47) is on the top of my chocolate fix list for the Mother’s Day. The cake is moist, very rich with chocolate and sweet. Some chocolate cakes are too bitter, or too sweet, but We Take The Cake – just perfect. A little piece goes a long way, and there is plenty to share. Perfect to crown the Mother’s Day dinner even with a bigger crowd.

Alessi Todo Cheese Grater
($87) is a classic, but always as stylish kitchen accessory that performs year after year. And when not in use – it will look sleek in foodie mom’s kitchen counter. This is a must for all foodie mamas who like Italian food – think of all those lasagnas and pizzas with hand grated cheese!

While many gourmet food gifts are expensive, Gevalia coffee offers great value for their great tasting coffee and variety of blends. If you enroll mom now to their home delivery coffee club (you can cancel it anytime) – and you’ll get this Gevalia mini-coffee maker and the coffee for only $9.99 (and only $19.99 if you don’t want to enroll for the coffee club, but just want the coffee maker & coffee).

Vineyard Elegance Food Basket
($49.99) is full of yummy snacks like Ghirardelli chocolate, raspberry tea cookies, almonds, cheese and crackers… and a bottle of Chardonnay. Give Mom a moment of enjoyment and relaxation and take her out for a picnic. Pamper mom with this snack basket that is easy to get and ready to gift. Add cheese and nice set of wine glasses to make it even better.

The adorable custom made apron set ($24) from Ladybugs and Lilypads is an awesome gift for a mom and invites her little helper in the kitchen with her. You can find an apron to fit your mama’s style – there are several different styles available and you can personalize the aprons with the names of the family chefs. Now, what foodie mama wouldn’t like that!

Lobster dinner ($98) for two. Any husband can cook a gourmet lobster dinner with the help of Hancock Gourmet Lobster Company. The Maine Shore Dinner comes ready cooked – just thaw, heat and eat, and she’ll never have to know you didn’t do it all by yourself. Two lobster tails, a dozen mussels, shrimp, scallops and corn on the cob in an herbed lemon butter sauce. Treat mom with a candle light dinner right at home.

If you are looking for an elegant gift for a food lover mom on a budget, check out Villeroy & Boch serving dishes now on sale. They have a very generous portion of their products for 50% off normal retail price. The serving dishes pictured here are now starting at $18.99, and these luxurious serving dishes will crown the table for years.

Pamper mom for more than just once – get her Stonewall Kitchen Specialty Food Club Membership, available for 3, 6 and 12 months, and mom will get a new treat delivered to her once a month. In May she’ll receive gourmet bean dip, salsa and chips, and in June an assortment of gourmet jellies and crackers and July brings her BBQ sauces to last the rest of the summer. Membership starting at 80 dollars.

See all Gift Ideas and Mom Interviews featured on the Skimbaco Mother’s Day 09.

What a new mom really needs is a day in a spa, but she might not want to leave her baby for a whole day. Treat mom a quick spa feeling right at home with the luxurious Basa “Kiss Me” Gift Pack ($29.99) includes coconut oil lotion, body stick and two handmade soaps. The natural coconut oil contains natural antioxidants and makes mom’s skin smooth as the baby’s.

Pink microsuede neck pillow ($28) is filled with all natural ingredients – flax seed, rice and relaxing lavender. The neck pillow is great for quick cold or hot therapy to relax mom’s neck muscles. It’s easy to pop in to microwave oven for a while and then mom can enjoy a warm relaxing mini-treatment during those nights she is up with the baby.

Today’s Moms: Essentials for Surviving Baby’s First Year ($11.55) by Mary Ann Zoellner and Alicia Ybarbo. A new mom will appreciate this common-sense book for baby’s first year. She will laugh, she will get teary eyed, and above all she will get information from mom experts and the the TODAY show cast. The authors bust the common mothering myths and the book has plenty of real life example for those “me-too” moments.

It’s a bag – it’s a blanket. Chic & Cozy Blanket Bag (starting at $47.99) is a mom-invented product. The blanket bag holds your baby’s travel toys and easily converts to a travel blanket for the baby. There is no other product like this on the market – get new mom something truly unique. You can get this product online at ChicTots.com.

She got an engagement ring and a wedding band for those two memorable moments. Now get mom the Mama Necklace (starting at $425) by Tali Gillette for the milestone of becoming a mom. Believe me, the necklace will become one of her most treasured pieces of jewelry. Several celeb moms like Gwyneth Paltrow love this necklace and you can even get it with diamonds.

What a new mom – or any mom!- needs help with cleaning the house and great gift idea is a cleaning Gift certificate from BidMyCleaning. You can treat mom a break from household duties and this time you don’t even have to vacuum yourself – just give her the gift certificate and mom can choose when and what she wants to clean, BidMyCleaning.com offers services from one time carpet cleaning to maid service.

Martha Stewart Sweet Pink Bouquet
($39.95) is a whole lot of cuteness for a new mom. I like the traditional roses with a new twist – in baby pink and in a tin bucket. Order now and get 15% off – use discount code: SPOTAMOM (expires on Mother’s Day). This like all the other bouquets in my gift guide are from 1800-Flowers, which is a 35-year-old family company. Every mom deserves flowers.

New mom needs calling cards to share with other moms to schedule the play dates. Being a first time mom and seeing another new mom is an instant bonding moment for many moms, and the calling cards will get handy. I’m so thankful for those new mom friends I had when I had my first baby (luv you Anna, Arlene & Aija). Alisa calling cards (starting $50 for 35) from Urban Bliss have a fab modern look with a retro vibe.

Today’s featured Mompreneur is Sara Tyndall of Ladybugs and Lilipads. Ladybugs and Lilypads is a charming store where you can find beautiful products for your kids and you – and what gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling: Sara even has those famous ladybug shoes that I sent to Suri Cruise (as then later on seen on Oprah) on her homepage!

Katja: Please tell us more about your company.
 
Sara: Ladybugs and Lilypads is a unique online Children’s Boutique. We offer a unique selection of items many of which are custom handmade to order. We hand pick our items very careful in order to bring only the best to our customers. We have everything from children’s clothes and accessories to furniture and room decor.
 
Katja: What is your favorite Mother’s Day memory?
 
Sara: My favorite Mother’s Day memory is my very first mother’s day. My husband planted a tree in our backyard and it meant so much to me. Now we have a tradition of planting a new tree for each Mother’s Day and I look forward to it every year.
 

Katja: If you could choose anything in the world for Mother’s Day gift, what would it be?

Sara: If I could choose anything for Mother’s Day it would honestly just be to spend the day with my husband and children having fun, planting our tree and relaxing. Maybe have someone else clean the house for me…that would be wonderful!
 

Katja: Can you recommend a Mother’s Day gift idea from Ladybugs and Lilypads?

Sara: My favorite mom gift in our store is our photo necklaces. I have one of my own and adore it. I find myself wearing it all the time. I really treasure that necklace.
 

Virtual Mother’s Day Gift For Sara

As a mompreneur and a former boutique owner myself, I understand completely that when you take time off working on your own business, cleaning isn’t really the first choice of things to do – I rather hang out with my family too! I would love to gift Sara a gift certificate to BidMyCleaning.com so she could spend more time with her family instead of cleaning the house. (Oh, don’t we all wish this!)

Are you a mom? Then this giveaway is for you! This Mother’s Day season Skimbaco Lifestyle partnered with several companies to gift and celebrate moms. Since we can’t gift everyone – we are hosting several giveaways and celebrating motherhood by fun Mompreneur interviews. I hope you subscribe Skimbaco Lifestyle feed to get all of the Mama Interviews, Mama Giveaways and the Gift Guide of Gifts for Moms by Moms.

Back Porch Soap Company offers luxurious bath salts, soaps and shea butter products. The owner Marla Boshworth creates beauty products made with the best ingredients, and imports shea butter from Ghana, West Africa and essential oils from Indonesia and Bulgaria to ensure the high quality. The products are vegan and never tested on animals.

When you are looking for Mother’s Day (or any other gifts), make sure to check out the Back Porch Soap Company’s offerings. If you live in the Boston area, Marla also teaches soap making classes in her Duxbury, Massachusetts studio (located 30 minutes south of Boston). That sounds like a lot of fun!

GIVEAWAY

Thank you for Back Porch Soap Company for gifting a mom this Mother’s Day season at Skimbaco Lifestyle!

One lucky mama will win a Provence Lavender 4 oz. 100% shea butter ($18) and Provence Lavender 8 oz. shea butter body cream ($18) from Back Porch Soap Company.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY – EACH WAY = ONE ENTRY

1. Leave a comment with your favorite product from Back Porch Soap Company.
2. Stumble, Digg or Kirtsy this blog post. Leave a comment that you did. (Use the easy buttons on the bottom of this post)
3. Tweet about this giveaway with a link. Leave a comment with a link.

RULES:
Deadline for comments/above: April 25th midnight EST. US only. Thanks Back Porch Soap Company for this giveaway!

FULL DISCLOSURE: I did not receive a payment nor a product to post this giveaway.

Photo: Amy McMullen

This Mother’s Day season I will be featuring Gifts for Moms by Moms. Today’s featured Mompreneur is Marlynn Jayme Schotland of Urban Bliss. You may know her from Twitter as @designmama. Marlynn’s calling cards for moms are modern, sleek and of course practical!

Katja: Introduce your company Urban Bliss.
Marlynn: Urban Bliss is a mom-owned creative studio + online boutique based in Portland, Oregon. We offer paper goods and gifts in our online store, as well as graphic & Web design services plus public relations strategy for clients around the globe.

Katja: What is your best Mother’s Day memory?
Marlynn: There was one Mother’s Day when my family was able to get my great grandmother, my grandmother, my mother, myself and my son all together in the same room to celebrate Mother’s Day. The photos from that day of all five generations are just priceless. My great-grandmother helped raise me and lived to be 102 years old, so having the experience of her spending time with my son before she passed on meant so much to me.

Katja: If you could choose anything in the world, what would be your ideal Mother’s Day Gift?
Marlynn: A lifetime supply of mint chocolate chip ice cream. And bacon. And coffee. Really, a lifetime supply of food in general would be the best Mother’s Day Gift ever! My mother always spoiled me and my brother with fantastic food growing up, no matter how tight their budget was, and now I find myself doing the same with my kids. Plus, I really just love food.

Katja: Which one of your products you recommend for Mother’s Day?
Marlynn: For Mother’s Day, our Urban Bliss Mama Calling Cards are always the crowd favorite year after year. They’re perfect for busy moms (and grandmas!) on the go, and they are both indulgent and also a practical gifts. Plus, they are functional for both the new mom who wants to meet other moms for playdates and for the mom of five who needs to keep in contact with five different sets of teachers, coaches, doctors, sitters, mom friends and so on. I package our Mama Calling Cards in beautiful cheery spring blues & greens and include a complimentary gift card.

Virtual Mother’s Day Gift For Marlynn

Since Marlynn is a mom who knows not just good design but also good food, I picked a monthly delivery of gourmet food as a Mother’s Day Gift for Marlynn. I love the idea of Stonewall Kitchen’s Specialty Food Club Membership
for whole 12 months, and she would get a new treat delivered to her once a month. The picture is what she would get in August – all the fixings to make a gourmet blueberry breakfast with pancakes, muffins and the best of jam, and I can see her enjoying it with her children.