Introducing Zarbee's All-Natural Remedies

I would like to introduce you to Zarbee's, a brand that is dedicated to providing safe and effective all-natural remedies for infants, toddlers, children and adults.  All products are: Drug, Dye and Gluten-Free, Safe & Effective, and All-Natural. In 2007, when the U.S. Food & Drug Administration ruled that children’s cough syrups were unsafe for kids under the age of four, Dr. Zak Zarbock experienced first-hand the frustration of his patients who then set out to find a safe and effective natural cough remedy that he could feel good about recommending to patients and adults. Check out Zarbee's adult cough remedies too. Just click the photo above to learn more about this company and its line of products.

I am an affiliate for this company and may benefit financially if you purchase by using the link provided. I only recommend products that I support and agree with their mission or feel my readers will benefit from.

Giveaway Promote $100 Cash Giveaway!

Welcome to the $100 Cash Giveaway!

Hosted by Giveaway Promote.

Are you a blogger that's looking for a very effective, traffic packed, easy to use paid Featured Giveaway Plan? Giveaway Promote, Giveaway Scoop and Blog Giveaway Directory have teamed up to create just that with the Gold Giveaway Plan.

All together, the Gold Giveaway Plan allows you to potentially reach over 78,000+ giveaway and contest fans, plus your giveaway will appear on 11 different popular contest sites!

It's super easy to use the Gold Giveaway Plan. Just let us know the link to your giveaway, pay and we'll take care of the rest. Getting the word out about your giveaway or contest has never been easier!

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Enter to win $100 Cash.

We have teamed up with a great group of bloggers to bring you this fabulous giveaway. One lucky winner will receive $100 Cash via PayPal.

Complete the tasks below to earn entries into this giveaway.

Refer your friends using your unique link at the top of the Rafflecopter for even more chances to win.

One winner will be chosen at random from all valid entries.

Open Worldwide.

Ends at 11:59pm EST on March 24th, 2013.

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Bloggers, we'd love for you to join an awesome group giveaway event like this one! Sign up to be emailed about future events hosted by Giveaway Promote.

I Want to Be the 2013 S.T.A.R. Mom Entrepreneur!

I'm in the running for the 2013 S.T.A.R. Mom Entrepreneur Award. Please take a moment to visit my photo on their Facebook page and "Like" it to show your support. Feel free to leave a comment about me and/or my business to show your support of you have time. I thank you in advance! If you would like to nominate yourself or someone you know, details are below.

Are you {or someone you know} a S.T.A.R. {successful, tenacious, accomplished, remarkable} Mom Entrepreneur? If so, Market Mommy wants to honor you for your continued dedication to your business and your family!

Are you a leader? Are you balancing your business and family in a creative way? We want to hear what sets you apart from the thousands of other mom entrepreneurs! Why are you determined to succeed? Have you invented a product that is helping others? What have you done to show the world that you’re confident, remarkable and steadfast? Tell us, and you’ll be entered to win an absolutely awesome prize package.

Hidden Dangers in your Newly Furnished Nursery?

All parents want the best and safest environment for their precious new baby to thrive. But when decorating the baby's nursery room, make the right choices which means choosing products and furniture with the least amount of toxins. This info-graphic from HealthyChild.org gives tips on making healthier choices like buying used furniture which has already had a chance to "off-gas". Gumdrop Swap sells pre-loved bassinets, playpens and cribs. Our swappers bring in organic clothes, blankets, and PVC-free products and toys. We also sell baby-proofing products like toilet locks, plug covers, and cabinet locks. It saves you money to buy second-hand and may just give you peace of mind after reading these tips. See other gently used kids items available here.

Via Column Five for Healthy Child

Tri-state Area! Win a Professional Photo Shoot by Jane Goodrich Photography!

We have teamed up with Jane Goodrich Photography to bring you a super-special giveaway! One lucky reader will win an at-your-home professional photography session package worth $2850!  Visit http://www.janegoodrich.com to see more of her work.

Jane Goodrich is a New-York based newborn and children’s photographer with an artful eye and a modern edge whose talent lies in her ability to capture a moment in time – no matter how quickly it passes.

This prize is one that you and your loved ones will treasure forever. Here’s what the lucky winner will receive as part of their ‘A Day In The Life Package’:  

A Day in the Life Package - $2,850

Want to freeze this moment in time forever? From waking up, getting dressed, eating breakfast, going on a play-date or school, having lunch, naptime, seeing friends, taking a bath, reading stories. This package captures all of this along with laughs, giggles, funny faces, and tears. Don’t miss a second!

-        One Full Day Session (From Wake-up to Bedtime)

-        Portraits of Your Child, Family, and Friends

-        $500 Worth of Professional Prints

-        Image Wrapped Album of Best Images

-        Cosmetic Retouching, Editing, Post production

-        Online gallery

-        A Fully Edited High-Resolution Disk - with a minimum of 150 images in at least 3 tones

Although anyone in the U.S. and Canada can enter to win this prize – Jane Goodrich Photography only services three states – New York, New Jersey and Conn. If you are not in the tri-state area you can still enter to win and then give the giveaway prize as a gift to a relative or friend who lives in the tri-state area (NY, NJ, CT). You must schedule your photo session before April 1, 2013.

This giveaway ends February 25th and is open to anyone in the US and Canada. Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. You can complete as many entries as you like to increase your chances, but all entries are optional.  Jane Goodrich Photography is responsible for prize fulfillment. 

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$200 Diaper Giveaway until 2/28/13

Welcome to the $200 Diaper Giveaway! One lucky reader will win $200 worth of their favorite brand of diapers for their little ones. Will it be you?

The winner will choose either a digital Amazon gift card or national store gift card to purchase Huggies, Luvs, Pampers or any other diapers of their choice.

Special thanks to our co-hosts: Freebie Spot, Money Saving Lisa, Military Wives Saving, Shopaholicmommy, Life With Levi and The Frugal Batavian

This giveaway is open worldwide and ends February 28th at 11:59 PM EST. Come back everyday for more chances to win by completing our daily entries!

Image created by Tracy @ Mommy’s Money Saving Madness

A big thank you to Tracy LeCompte (Mommy’s Money Saving Madness) for the super-cute and professional button she designed for us! If you need someone to design a blog button, giveaway event button, etc. contact her at mommysmoneysavingmadness@gmail.com for her availability and rates. 

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Join the FREE "It's Raining Money" Blog Giveaway!

It's Raining Money Event

Hosted by: Mom Powered Media

Prize: $1,000 Cash {paypal or visa}

Event dates: 4/1 - 5/1

Free Blogger Event: Sign Up HERE

It's Getting Crafty in Here!

I must admit, my sewing machine was pretty dusty. I used to sew a lot before I became a mom. I was always scouring the fabric stores and craft supply store for deals, remnants, and notions to make one-of-a-kind accessories like handbags, belts and hair clips. I sold my creations at a few small boutiques and the occasional festival. In my vision for my business, I planned to upcycle kids clothing by using my supplies to spruce up slightly damaged items destined for landfills. I made a few outfits and sold them.

But once I took Gumdrop Swap from a home-operated web business to a retail location, there just wasn't enough time for me to repurpose all the things coming in. Over the last years, I have collected many projects that I still intend to do... eventually. I take custom orders from time to time for fabric ties appliqued onto onesies.

Lately I've been hankering for small projects that I can do while sitting at my desk at work. Customers have asked me if I have bow ties and I haven't had any swapped lately. I always wince when I get this request because I think, "I can make a bow tie." And it would be a perfect way to use all my small remnants of fabric. So, here goes, introducing Gumdrop Swap Couture Bow Ties. I am sewing small clips on the back which make them able to clip to any style collar shirt.

I Need a Vacay!

There are definitely pros & cons to owning your own business. But one thing I miss most about working in the corporate world is paid vacations! There is no such thing as paid time off when you run your own business solo. I don't have employees so what happens when I get sick or need to go out of town? Either I drag myself into work or don't take the time off. Or I risk having unhappy customers by being closed. But I am burned out right now. So I am taking a few days off. I hope I don't upset too many people...

You've Got the Power!

...to choose your own energy supplier if you live in these states:

Arizona
Arkansas
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Illinois
Maine
Maryland 
Massachusetts 
Michigan
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Ohio
Oklahoma 
Oregon
Pennsylvania 
Rhode Island
Texas
Virginia
Washington DC

I am a customer of United Illuminating because I live in CT. My power is still provided by them but I found out that I can choose another supplier. It was so easy to switch that I changed my home and business to North American Power. UI's rate at the time was $.872 per kWh (per kilowatt hour) VS. North American Power's rate of $.699 per kWh. That was a no-brainer decision. I figure I should save a few hundred dollars in a year. Want to see if you can save some moolah? Simply go to http://www.napower.com/165204/ to get a quote. If your state participates, all you have to do is enter a few numbers from you recent utility bill. They take care of the change and in a month or so you will see them as the new supplier along with the lower energy rate. Once you switch, they will give you a cash bonus by encouraging your friends and family to switch.

December Extreme Cash Giveaway until 1/14/13

 

Welcome to the December Extreme Cash Giveaway! Gumdrop Swap has partnered up with some amazing blogs for this special giveaway where one of our readers will win a $400 cash prize!

This giveaway is co-hosted by:  Life With Levi |  Always Searching for Savings | Broward Saves | This Mama Loves Her Bargains | Freebie Spot | I'm a full-time mummy | This Mommy Saves Money | The Lucky Ladybug | 

The Extreme Cash Giveaway runs for a full four weeks, which means that you will have lots of time to complete the entries that you choose to do. Remember, all entries are OPTIONAL. We have a variety of daily entries available as well, so bookmark this giveaway and come back everyday for more chances to win! 

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends January 14th at 11:59 PM EST. Good luck!

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Home Sweet Home Again

We've been in our new location for about a month now and starting to feel settled. Thank you to all who supported in some way. Whether a customer, donor to our fundraiser campaign or physically helped move - THANK YOU!

Be sure to visit as soon as possible. We are now at 993 Main St, Suite 1U, Bridgeport, CT 06604. We didn't move far. If you are familiar with our old location we just moved from in side the Arcade Mall to the outside, right across from Jimmy's. Our street location makes it a lot easier to unload and load for swapping. If you haven't checked out our new digs, here are some photos to wet your palette.

FedEx Business Grant contest

I have entered the FedEx Business Grant contest. If you are a business I recommend that you try to win $25,000. I would appreciate your vote! (click here)

Entering is simple. Go to the link above and at the bottom you will see a link to enter your business. You must submit your business story and photo by November 17 (for more days). Once your application is approved, you can vote for yourself once a day - and get all your friends, customers, and associates to vote as well - through November 24.

Thank you & good luck!

Apple Pie Pancakes

I love adding fresh fruit to pancakes. We usually use blueberries or raspberries. But since it's apple season and I had apples available I decided to try something new. This recipe is so easy and screams fall.

INGREDIENTS:

• Aunt Jemima instant pancake mix 
• 1 apple 
• syrup or whipped cream
• cinnamon
• about 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted 
• 1 pan for apples, 1 pan for pancakes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare pancake mix as the box instructs (I made enough for 12-16 pancakes)
2. Peel apple and slice thinly discarding the core
3. Melt butter in med-high skillet
4. Coast apple slices with cinnamon and add to hot butter
5. Begin browning apples and sprinkle brown sugar as you stir until apples are soft
6. Let cool and mix with pancake batter
7. Prepare 2nd pan with oil and prepare pancakes as usual

I hope you enjoy this savory and sweet spin on your usual pancakes.

2012 Live Green CT Festival is this weekend!

http://www.livegreenct.com

Gumdrop Swap will be an exhibitor at this festival for the 3rd year! It takes place at Taylor Farms (near Calf Pasture Beach) in Norwalk, CT on the weekend of September 15-16, 2012. Here are photos from my tent in 2011. People assume Gumdrop Swap Children's and Maternity Boutique only sells used merchandise. That's so not true! We carry lots of new merchandise as well. Plenty of gift options available and I make custom gift baskets. 

I will have a booth for this 2 day festival to expose more people to Gumdrop Swap's unique spin on kids & maternity consignment. This unique service keeps the most important "green" (money) in your wallet. It's a FREE EVENT if you are on foot and $5 charge for each car to enter so if you must drive - carpool!

Do you have a business that is eco-friendly or family friendly? I highly recommend you being an exhibitor at this event. The organizers are very accommodating and organized. Live Green Connecticut gets better every year! They have entertainment, a kid's tent, food, discussions and of course a variety of vendors with products and services. Contact Daphne or Scot and make sure you mention Gabby from Gumdrop Swap sent ya!

Even if you can't come but you want to learn more about Connecticut's green movement, get involved or promote your green efforts (no matter where you live) you should to sign up for free at GreenTowns.com. Search by state and city to see what's going on in your area! 

What I Wish I would Have Known before Launching My IndieGogo Campaign

In my previous post I explained that I am testing 2 crowd funding sites. With one week left on my Indiegogo campaign, I've learned more about the complexities of getting your campaign to go viral. Some things you should know before launching your campaign. Here is my email to The Indiegogo Happiness Team expressing that I wasn't very happy.

I thought I read and understood how your platform works. In hindsight, I
think the preliminary info is lacking. The site brags that starting a
campaign is easy and simple. That is true, but I've discovered that getting
your campaign to go viral proves to be quite complex. The first thing that
caught me off guard was once I launched my campaign the confirmation email
said I needed to get 2 donations to just appear in the search results. I
begged friends to do that for me. I wiped my brow in relief a few days
later when 2 came through. I understood my gogo factor was influenced by
how viral my campaign link became. I'm a solo entrepreneur so I read as
much as I could of your tips to spread the word and I did as many tips as I
could. Unfortunately, it wasn't until a few days ago when I got my report
by email saying my gogo factor was down and I was looking at the analytics
that I read the asterisk that referrals were counted if I used the link
that appears WITHIN my campaign. For the first half of my campaign I had
posting/sharing the organic URL in the address bar. I was crushed. So then
I began a new wave of posts and begging friends and family to post the
"correct" link (a bit embarrassing because I'm quite sure everyone that
knows me is tired of hearing about this fundraiser by now). Maybe if I tell
you why I chose to do an Indiegogo campaign, it will be easier to explain
why I'm disappointed with about 1 week left until it expires.

I was hoping to get the generosity of strangers that were moved by my
mission and story. I knew my project was well vetted, my fundraising goal
realistic and I had a great video and superb rewards. After reading some of
your success stories, I thought, "I can do this." I was reaching out to
strangers because I know my friends and family are broke. If they weren't,
I would have just asked them all for donations directly. So far my loved
ones have ponied up $295. The whole point of this was to get $5 bucks or
more from people I don't know. But yesterday was the devastation when I
browsed through 67 pages in the "small business" category (multiple times
because I was convinced I had overlooked it somehow) for my campaign. I
kept thinking, I must rank above all these people with 0 donations and why
are there pages and pages of expired campaigns taht people can no longer
donate to? Then I went to FAQ page for help and read "Why can't I find my
campaign" to find out that after a few weeks if a campaign hasn't raised
$500 it no longer shows up in the browse results. I cried and I'm crying as
I write this. I realize with 7 days left I have failed. I cannot do a new
campaign and start over to try to do this "right" a second time. There's no
time. I would like to suggest that these "make or break" requirements be
made part of the "get started" stuff before people launch a campaign or at
least email that info to the admins. It would have been nice to know I had
to meet certain milestones to be visible in browse results. I like to go
into things with my eyes open and I feel I had to dig for this info. Whats
the point of improving my gogo factor if I don't even have a chance to
increase my rank in the browse results? That was the whole point of doing
this! Am I missing something here? Is there any hope for my
campaign<http://igg.me/p/199621?a=998868>with 7 days left? I
appreciate any advice to rescue my campaign.

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Peerbackers VS. Indiegogo for crowd funding

About a week ago, I launched a 30-day fundraising campaign on Peerbackers to help my business cover the costs of finishing the bigger store front we're moving to in September. I discovered today that Peerbackers isn't as well known as I thought and decided to create another campaign on Indiegogo which is a more known peer funding site (higher Google rank, more campaigns running, more funders giving overall). I'm hoping for this thing to go viral and get the support of strangers along with family and friends. Thank you to the people I know that donated through Peerbackers already! That campaign will still run and I will honor the rewards as promised.  I copied the same rewards from Peerbackers to Indiegogo. I partnered with some other businesses to offer a variety of bribes rewards in exchange for donations.

Indiegogo does take a bigger cut of money I raise (4% if I meet my goal and 9% if I don't) in addition to the standard 3% that Paypal keeps to process the payments. I chose "Flex Funding" so I can get any funds I raise. When you choose "Fixed Funding" all the money goes back to the funders if you don't reach your goal. Since my project will happen whether or not I raise all the monies, I just the former. Peerbackers keeps 3% on top of Paypal's 3%. I'm hoping I will get more supporters through Indiegogo's platform. The catch with Indiegogo is they say I need 2 funders to be able to appear in their search results. But I didn't find that out until like the last step. Kind of hard to go viral if I don't even appear in browsing results when people are looking for ideas to fund.

Overall, I think I liked the back end of Peerbackers more. It seemed a little more user-friendly when setting up. They even allow you to upload specific images for each reward. That was a nice touch since I was featuring other people's products. But Indiegogo wins in tech integration. You can easily copy and paste an iframe code to paste into your website. I couldn't find that on Peerbackers so I emailed customer service and they quickly replied that the feature didn't exist yet but I had permission to create my own image using their logo. Which I did (see on right). Then I did an image link. This has since been replaced on my website's home page with the widget provided from Indiegogo. (see below)

This crowd funding thing is new to me so bare with me folks! If you've done one before, I'd love to hear your opinion and get advice. I am open to feedback and will try to answer questions if you consider trying this avenue to raise capital. Both of the above mentioned sites are non-restrictive as far how you can use the funds. Health expenses, travel, non-profit - anything goes it seems.  You may have heard of a site called Kickstarter. But they have this disclaimer stating very clearly what kinds of projects you can post.

• 1. Funding for projects only. A project has a clear goal, like making an album, a book, or a work of art. A project will eventually be completed, and something will be produced by it. A project is not open-ended. Starting a business, for example, does not qualify as a project.
• 2. Projects must fit Kickstarter’s categories. We currently support projects in the categories of Art, Comics, Dance, Design, Fashion, Film, Food, Games, Music, Photography, Publishing, Technology, and Theater. Design and Technology projects have a few additional guidelines. If your project is in either of these categories, be sure to review them carefully. View Design and Technology requirements
  
• 3. Prohibited uses:
  • No charity or cause funding. Examples of prohibited use include raising money for the Red Cross, funding an awareness campaign, funding a scholarship, or promoting the donation of funds raised, or future profits, to a charity or cause.
  • No "fund my life" projects. Examples include projects to pay tuition or bills, go on vacation, or buy a new camera.
  • Prohibited content. There are some things we just don't allow on Kickstarter.

Win a Beezer Playhouse for your Imaginative Kid!

Beezer Playhouses are perfect for kids who love imaginative indoor play! Each playhouse comes with a variety of letters, numbers, and accessories that offer a personal touch.

Beezer Playhouses are cute, durable, and interactive with plastic windows and a strong plastic door frame.  The double thickness cardboard door features a fun doorknob that is easy for kids to turn and plastic hinges which make the door far stronger and more durable than any other cardboard playhouse.  

WIN IT!

One lucky reader will win a playhouse from Beezer Playhouse ($159.99 ARV) for their kids! Giveaway is open in the US and ends on August 22 at 11:59 PM EST.

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August Extreme $100 Amazon Giveaway

Welcome to the Extreme Amazon Giveaway! I've joined up with other awesome blogs to bring our wonderful readers the chance to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card! There are lots of entries to choose from - you can do one or ALL to increase your chances of winning the big prize. 

Giveaway ends August 17th at 11:59 PM EST. Good luck! 

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Peerbackers: Help Gumdrop Swap Maternity & Kids Boutique finish moving!

Help Gumdrop Swap Maternity & Kids Boutique finish moving!: Gumdrop Swap has outgrown our existing boutique storefront. We need a bigger store to better serve our customers and add a fitting room. I have launched a Peerbackers campaign for this project. You can give as low as $1 but I've set some donation benchmarks with awesome rewards (including Love Munchkin body oils, cake pops from Lele's Cake Creations, Mariah's Chow Chow Relish, hair accessories form Mama'tique, a 1lb cookie tin from Sweet Potato Sensations Bakery, and more!) I really appreciate your support!