Valentine Treats!

Be sure to stop by and check out all of our limited edition Valentine Treats.  The perfect way to say I Love You to your skin!!

The Perfect Way To Say I Love You

*On Sale Now*

The perfect way to say "I Love You" to your skin this Valentine's Day!

From The Heart Nourishing Clay Soap

2.5-3 oz ea.

An Exciting Progression!

We are excited to announce that 

Bullfrogs & Butterflies Baby Boutique
has merged with our sister site, ElliaCNaturals!



Please visit us at our newly remodeled digs! http://www.elliacnaturals.com

Friday Food for Thought

Make the most

of being yourself

for that is all 

there is of you.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

From the Heart Nourishing Clay Soap

Here is my spin on a wonderful heart shaped sea salt bar tutorial by Helen of Triage From Home.  I love the way these little cuties turned out!  These limited edition cold processed bars include all of the skin loving butters and oils of my other shea butter soaps with the added benefits of Pink Kaolin Clay, Dead Sea Salt, bergamot, and chamomile.

Pink Kaolin Clay is thought to stimulate circulation and provide gentle exfoliation without drawing oils from the skin.  It is very mild, making it perfect for all skin types, including sensitive skin.  Dead Sea Salt has a high concentration of minerals, such as magnesium, bromine, potassium, and calcium, which are hailed for their superior cleansing and detoxifying properties.  When applied topically, they are also thought to impart nourishing and softening benefits to the skin.  Bergamot is an uplifting essential oil thought to revitalize and reduce tension.  Finally, chamomile has long been used topically to soothe skin irritations and promote regeneration of skin cell tissue.

I have a limited number of these bars that will be available in the next 2 weeks, just in time for Valentine's Day :-)  They weigh in b/w 2.5-3.0 oz. each and will retail for just $3.50 per bar! 

Best Parent Bloggers of Ohio!

A BIG Thank You to Angela of Mom Trusted for including me in her list of Best Parent Blogs in Ohio!  I am thrilled to be in such wonderful company with such amazing fellow mama bloggers.  Please be sure to stop by and  show Angela and her very informative blog some love :-)

RelaxZen Day & Night {Review}

Managing a busy household with 4 very active and inquisitive little ones can definitely take its toll on ones energy level from time to time.  Couple that with nurturing a growing young business (much of which happens late at night when the house is finally quiet), and it's no wonder I feel like I've been hit by a Mack truck every now and then!  Even after a busy day, when the house is quiet and I can finally climb into my cozy bed, I find my mind spinning with thoughts of everything that needs to get done the next day.

RelaxZen has created a product line that is designed to help manage energy levels throughout the day while allegedly promoting increased focus and balance in your mood.  **Please note that I am not making any nutritional or medical claims regarding this product.  In fact, I always recommend seeking the advice of a licensed, trusted health care provider before using any and all supplements (whether over the counter or prescription).  That being said, I have had the opportunity to try both RelaxZen Day & Night for myself and am happy to share my experiences with you.

RelaxZen Day is designed to reduce the feelings of stress and fatigue while increasing alertness and improving overall mood.  The primary energy boosters are a heaping helping of B vitamins (B6, B12), passion flower extract, and acai extract.  According to the nutritional label, this product contains no carbohydrates, including sugar, and the ingredient list does not note the inclusion of any artificial sweeteners.  Each bottle contains 2.5 fl. oz. of slightly thick, sweet, fruity liquid, though not nearly as disgustingly sweet as many energy drinks on the market.  I had pulled a very late night the day before using this product, and I will admit that I did feel a little spark of "relaxed energy" for a couple of hours (not jittery, just a calm that allowed me to keep moving despite a lack of sleep the night before).  I made sure not to indulge in a yummy latte on this particular morning to better examine the effectiveness of the product.  I am happy to report that I did not experience any form of energy "crash" later in the day, as can so often occur with coffee-related caffeine loading and typical "energy drinks".

RelaxZen Night is designed to do many of the same things as the Day formula, but includes soothing chamomile extract and B5. I chose to test it out on a day where I purposely structured things to allow me to get to bed at a reasonable hour.  I drank the bottle (again, 2.5 fl. oz.) about an hour before I planned to hit the pillow.  The taste was very similar to the Day formula, though the consistency was a bit more watered down.  By the time I was ready for bed, I felt good.  Not overly concerned with what would need done the next day, though I did still go through my mental check list for about 10 minutes before finally drifting off.

My Overall Impression:  Using these products one time each certainly did not provide a miraculous result that would have me shouting from the roof tops, but in all fairness, I do not believe that is the intention.  I will say that I did not feel any ill effects from the products and did experience a certain subtle "calm" when testing them.  Whether that was a direct effect of the product or a placebo effect based on my hopes for its performance is hard to judge.

RelaxZen Day & Night can be purchased at various retailers, including Thirstmonger.com where you can use the code SMILE to receive 10% off plus FREE shipping through January 31, 2011.  You can stop by and "Like" RelaxZen Shots on Facebook or follow @RelaxZen on Twitter.

* Disclaimer:  I received 1 sample each of RelaxZen Day & Night for the purposes of this review.  No other compensation was received.  The views expressed are honest and based on my own experiences with these products.  This post is not intended to be construed as medical advice in any way.  You should always seek the advice of a licensed health care professional before using any supplement.

Bountiful Bubbles!

Looking for a great way to sample luxurious cold processed soaps before committing to a full-sized bar?  Try our Bountiful Bubbles Gift Set!  You'll get your choice of 3 of our decadent shea butter soaps, a natural/unstained wooden soap deck (essential for proper drainage and getting the longest life out of your bar soap), and a natural fiber loofah.  Perfect for gift giving or stealing away for yourself!

Just a Quick Note

Just popping in to apologize for being a blogging slacker lately.  So far, this month has been filled with restocking bath & body favorites, plugging ahead with the Spring Line, and of course, decreasing any remaining inventory of Holiday bath & body treats.  Be sure to stop by and check us out on Facebook...we've been having some killer deals on Holiday goodies and FB only Grab Bags!

Glee Gum Winner!

Congratulations to CT Mom!  Your comment was selected by Random.org as the winner in our "Make You Own Kit" Giveaway from Glee Gum.

Thank you to all who entered!  This will be an exciting year for Bullfrogs & Butterflies Baby, with some wonderful changes in the works.  I really appreciate all of you for following along and hope that you thoroughly enjoy the time you choose to spend with me :)

I Joined The Village!

I am so pleased to announce that Ellia C. Naturals is now a proud member of Sampler Village.  What a clever idea!  Now you can sample loads of fabulous handmade goodies from talented artisans far and wide without having to spend a fortune.  Items included in each sample pack can include candles/wax tarts, bath & body treats, soaps, jewelry, paper goods, perfumes, candies and more. 

A big Thank You to Traci of Sampler Village for inviting me to be a part of your super sweet Sampler Boxes!

Giveaway: Make Your Own Gummies From Scratch! (Extended to Jan. 8th)

This giveaway has been extended until Jan. 8, 2011 to give those of you who were away for the Holidays a chance to enter :)
My 2 oldest boys are at ages where they love to do basic science experiments:  acid/base reactions, exploring color changes, making prisms and soft crystals, studying evaporation/condensation, etc...So, when given the opportunity to make our very own gummy candies from scratch using all-natural ingredients, I jumped at the chance. 

Glee Gum is an all-natural, gluten, dairy, soy, and nut-free chewing gum that is made without preservatives, artificial colors, artificial flavors, or artificial sweeteners.  It's made right here in the U.S. using an old fashioned process with chicle.  In addition to their natural chewing gum, the makers of Glee Gum have expanded their product line to include 3 child-friendly Glee Kits:  Make Your Own Chewing Gum, Make Your Own Gummy Candy, and Make Your Own Chocolate. 

The boys decided to try the Make Your Own Gummy Candy Kit, in part because of their fondness for Gummy Bears (TM), and in part because they were curious about the notion of using seaweed to make candy!  This particular kit uses the natural gelling ingredients of carrageenan and agar found in seaweed, rather than gelatin.  The seaweed provided comes in two forms, powdered and a dried/sterilized piece of seaweed that is soaked in water to extract the gelling agents.  The kit comes with an informative story about the world's oceans and the people living in coastal communities who grow and process seaweed.

We decided to use (well cleaned) household drinking straws to make "gummy worm" molds in our vegetable (molding) starch.  After extracting the gelling components from the dried seaweed, we combined everything as instructed and watched the transformation of our liquid mixture into yummy gummies.  The boys though it was "cool" that seaweed could be used for something other than squishing between your toes at the beach and thought it was even more "awesome" that they were able to eat the results of their science experiment :)  The directions were very easy to follow and I thought it was the perfect kit for kids in the 5-8yr. age range (I'm sure older kids would find it interesting as well, but in terms of level of difficulty, it is more fitting for the young primary school age range).  The texture of the gummies was not as chewy as traditional store bought candies and the sugar content is still quite high (as expected), but I liked knowing that the sweet treats they were eating were made from natural ingredients with which I am familiar and can pronounce!  The boys gave them a thumbs up for taste and they didn't seem to mind the texture, though they did say they were a little more "squishy" than "gummy".  Overall, I think this kit provided a wonderful learning experience and allowed the boys to see an amazing transformation using ingredients available to us in nature.

Buy Your Own:  Glee Gum and the series of "Make Your Own" Kits can be purchased HERE for $10-13, depending on your selection.  There are also a number of accessories, such Glee Gum Dispensers and clothing.

Win It:  The makers of Glee Gum have generously offered to give one Bullfrogs & Butterflies Baby reader a "Make Your Own" Kit of your choice!  Choose from the Chewing Gum Kit, Gummy Candy Kit, or Chocolate Kit.

To Enter:  Simply stop by Glee Gum and take a look around.  Then, come back here and tell me which kit you would love to try.

For extra entries, do any or all of the following and leave a comment letting me know for each. Make sure to leave your email address if not visible in your profile so I can let you know if you win:

1. Follow my blog with google friend connect
2. Follow me on Twitter and leave me your twitter id
3. Tweet about this giveaway mentioning @ElliaCNaturals and leave the link (once per day)
4. Like Ellia C. Naturals on Facebook (our all-natural bath & body shop) and leave your FB id
4. Blog about this giveaway or post it on your sidebar
5. Grab my button and place it on your blog

Giveaway ends December 31st January 8, 2011. Open to U.S. residents. Winner selected by www.random.org. Winner will have 72 hrs. to respond to email notification or alternate winner will be selected.

Disclosure:  I was provided with a Make Your Own Gummy Candy Kit for the purposes of this review.  The opinions expressed here are solely my own and based on my personal experience with this product.  I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.