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!

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.

StudioJewel is one of the featured jewelry shops in this year’s Mother’s Day Gift Guide. The designer Lisa J. Lehmann creates from the heart, and many of her pieces have a spiritual meaning or bring awareness to many charities Lisa supports.

GIVEAWAY

Thank you for StudioJewel for gifting a mom this Mother’s Day season at Skimbaco Lifestyle!

One lucky mama will win a Custom Necklace ($48) with Brown Leather Cord with Hammered Sterling Disk and Custom Stamped Gold Tag. Yes – you can get your name, your child’s name of a word of your choice stamped in this necklace made specifically for you.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY – EACH WAY = ONE ENTRY

1. Leave a comment with your favorite product from StudioJewel.
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: May 10th midnight EST. US only. Thanks StudioJewel for this giveaway!

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

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.

I attended for a great seminar a few weeks ago hosted by Kodak and with Yahoo’s finance writer Laura Rowley. In the seminar we went through how you can save money in every room of your house, and how little tricks and tips can end up saving you hundreds of dollars a year. I have been sharing some of those tips this month as part of my easy green tips features as well.

But what does saving money have to do with printers..? Well, a lot! With Kodak’s new Kodak ESP7 All-in-One Printer you can actually save a lot of money! Kodak developed a new type of ink cartridge that cost a fraction what other inks cost. You can actually check how much you could save at Print and Prosper.

GIVEAWAY

One lucky mama will win a Kodak ESP7 All-in-One Printer ($199.99) and not just that… There will be 25 winners who will win a Kodak printer from different blogs, and all of the winners will have a change to win a grand-prize: trip to BlogHer ’09.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY – EACH WAY = ONE ENTRY

1. Leave a comment how much you would save money if you switched to Kodak, leave me a way to contact you.
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: May 3th midnight EST. US only. Thanks Kodak for this giveaway!

MORE changes to win:
Domestic Chicky
Mom Trends

FULL DISCLOSURE: I received a printer as a sample and attended the Kodak seminar in New York City to learn how to save money in your home.

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.

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.

Ladybugs and Lilypads offer luxurious products for your little ones and unique handmade gift item for kids and moms. The owner, Mompreneur Sara Tyndall handpicks all of the products. You can find several Mother’s Day Gift ideas from the offerings of Sara’s boutique, but two of my favorites are the photo jewelry and the custom designed apron sets.

GIVEAWAY

Thank you for Ladybugs and Lilypads for gifting a mom this Mother’s Day season at Skimbaco Lifestyle!

One lucky mama will win a custom apron set ($24) – there are so many different prints available and you can also have your names embroidered on the aprons. Perfect for a foodie mom who has a little helper chef in the kitchen.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY – EACH WAY = ONE ENTRY

1. Leave a comment with your favorite product from Ladybugs and Lilypads.
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: May 7th midnight EST. US only. Thanks Ladybugs and Lilypads for this giveaway!

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

This Mother’s Day Season I am featuring several Gifts for Moms by Moms and a series of Mompreneur interviews. Todays mompreneur is Marla Bosworth of Back Porch Soap Company. The Back Porch Soap Company’s products are completely vegan and not tested on animals, the bath product line is free of sulfates and parabens and mainly made of organic ingredients. Over all I get that warm and fuzzy feeling when I thing of Back Porch Soap Company – here is the picture of the logo so you’ll see it in your own eyes what I mean. Oh – and keep reading, wait ’til you hear the tag line.

Katja: Please introduce us yourself and your company Back Porch Soap Company.

Marla: I am the founder and owner of Back Porch Soap Company, a retailer and wholesaler of handmade, sea-inspired bath and body products. In addition to my website backporchsoap.com, my products are sold in upscale boutiques and resorts all over the U.S. Back Porch Soap Company was founded in 1998 – literally on my back porch. Our company tagline is “Life is Short, Smell Good”. It doesn’t get any simpler than that does it?

Katja: I absolutely love your tag line, makes me smile every time! Since we are talking about Mother’s Day.. What is your best Mother’s Day memory?

Marla: Let’s see…1972. I was eight years old, and I had a very special gift in mind for my mom. I found and cleaned a metal Planter’s Peanut container. Then I grabbed a bag of tiny shell macaroni from the kitchen. I spent hours perfectly gluing the shells onto the container. Somehow I found gold spray paint and sprayed the entire creation. You can imagine how excited I was to give it to my mom.

I’ll never forget the look on her face. She acted as if it was the most beautiful creation she ever saw. The best part? I saw it over Christmas on a shelf in her new home. All these years, and I didn’t realize she still had it.

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

Marla: A handmade card with a handwritten, heart-felt note from my 14 year old daughter.

Katja: For those who are looking for the perfect Mother’s Day gift, which one of your products is the best seller this Mothers Day season?

Marla: So far our bestseller for Mother’s Day is the sea-inspired Ocean Lover’s Gift Set. It is perfect for any mom, and especially the mom who loves the ocean or beach. This beautiful, handmade bath and body gift set includes a moisturizing and light Ocean Mist liquid pump soap, two sea glass and one sea salt bar soaps, seashell potpourri, a white six-inch sugar starfish and an adorable soap dish. It is packaged in a galvanized metal tub adorned with a white starfish that can be reused as a planter or container to hold special mementos. I even enclose a special gift card with a message at no extra cost.

Virtual Mother’s Day Gift For Marla

I know Marla loves the sea, and I would like to gift her a relaxing vacation on a beach destination. Then again, she has the beaches of Massachusetts right on her backyard, and for every day relaxation I can see her sitting in this Chesapeake Adirondack Chair after a day of soap making.

Today’s featured Mompreneur is Michele Baratta. Michele Baratta’s photo jewelry is loved by celebrities and has been sold in several boutiques across the nation, large retail chains and catalogs like Coldwater Creek, Land of Nod and J Jill – but the biggest reason why I absolutely adore Michele Baratta is that she turned her business for any woman to be her own boss and entrepreneur. Michele Baratta atHome makes it possible for anyone to become a consultant and sell Michele’s photo jewelry.

Katja: Introduce your company to us.

Michele: Michele Baratta atHome is a high-end fashion jewelry company based in San Diego, California. I design each original piece of jewelry that is in the line. I actually sculpt my designs out of wax. Then every piece is hand-casted in sterling silver and then handmade using freshwater & cultured pearls and semi-precious stones. Much of my jewelry designs are meant to hold a cherished photo. Each design has a story that comes from my personal life. Our catalog is like a scrapbook of my family. Women can relate to it: it’s romantic and touching. Each piece of jewelry has sentimental meaning with inscriptions of meaningful symbols and messages of inspiration. Everything is made in the USA.

Katja: Can you share with us your favorite Mother’s Day memory?

Michele: Besides the beautiful macaroni necklaces and cherished cheerios bracelets my kids gave me when they were little, I’d have to say a few years ago was one of my favorite Mothers Day memories. Since I was a little girl, I’ve always collected heart shaped rocks. So, you can imagine how many I have around our home. A few years ago, my kids covered my eyes and guided me out our front door. There, mounted on the wall at the entrance to our new home was a 12 foot beautiful and natural piece of drift wood. Eloquently sitting on top in a nook filled with white sand rested about 15 of the most distinguished heart shaped rocks of the lot. Intermingled between the wonderful heart rocks lay an occasional starfish or shell. My children and husband had surprised me with a gift that will be displayed forever. Each heart rock representing a year in which I have been blessed with my children.

Katja: I love that gift, that is difficult to top, but if you could choose from everything in the world, what would be your ideal Mother’s Day Gift?

Michele: A picnic at the beach in La Jolla. That’s my favorite!

Katja: Most of your products would make perfect Mother’s Day gifts, but could you recommend one specific for Mother’s Day?

Michele: This is a hard question. I know I’m the designer, but there are so many beautiful heartfelt pieces of jewelry! The “Feel Good” Necklace , my “Ultimate Brag Necklace” and the “Portrait of Love” necklace are the most popular! Each holds your cherished photo at the center of the necklace. It’s so easy…just insert your favorite photo and your ready to go. Dads will be heroes if they give one of my photo necklaces! I promise!

Virtual Mother’s Day Gift for Michele

For Michele’s picnic in La Jolla I would gift her this gorgeous Martha Stewart French Country Gift Basket full of delicious treats for the whole family to enjoy.