News from BelleRinger PR

UNIQUE DECOR FOR THE KIDS' ROOMS Ready to update your child's room? Looking for something personalized to match the decor and bring a smile to the little one's face? Custom Banneramas from Gifts Define are unique wall art that will tickle your fancy. The hand stitched animals have letters attached and are strung from a satin or leather cord. Spell out your child's name on one side - reverse it to say something special on the other. There are 12 colorful animals to choose from, including monkeys, elephants, and more. Take a look at Irma's site to see her Tooth Guardian Angels , Conversation Birds and more cute stuff.

PUBLICITY TIP I just learned about Squidoo and why we business owners should be using it. Not only is it great for SEO but it's free! Resourceful entrepreneurs can't afford not to use this site. Just write a lense (similar to a blog entry) about a topic you're knowledgeable about - any topic. Business owners often know more about their product than anyone else. So tell the world about it! I'm still working on my first lense. I wrote about KLEAN Bath & Body's sugar scrubs - it's easy to write about products you love . The tech support staff and community at SquidU are helping me iron out the kinks - I'll show it to you when it's completed.

WHAT A CLUTCH! Thank you, Blooming Lily , for sharing another great find with us. loungeluxe is a fairly new shopping portal for indie businesses. It's pretty on the eyes and is incredibly easy to navigate. Lots of links. Some of my favorites - Peggy Li Jewelry and Kailo Chic (isn't the clutch pictured here marvelous!) - are already on the site. I noticed there are a lot of items from Modishoppe - that's a great endorsement!

ECO-FRIENDLY AND ANTI-BACTERIAL Thank you, fellow blogger teensygreen , for your post about anti-bacterial hand sanitizers and cleaning products. Though I'm well-aware of how alcohol-based products dry out my hands, I had no idea about some of the other safety and environmental concerns outlined in your post. And I appreciate the list of alternative cleansers. I'm intrigued by the hand-sanitizers from CleanWell . The company uses an environmentally-friendly and patented formula called Ingenium , a 99.99% effective sanitizer made of renewable plant sources. Imagine - no drying alcohol! The soap also contains aloe and white tea. CleanWell is available in foaming hand soap, spray, and wipes. Just have to remember to add it to the shopping list.

HELP BUSY MOMS STAY ORGANIZED Lately I've seen a lot of organizational tools and products for moms and families. What a great idea. I have trouble organizing my own rather quiet, child-free life. But what use is a tool if it doesn't meet all of your needs? The Mom's Plan-It Family Calendar covers all the bases. It has calendar pages and grids and the all-important contacts section for names and numbers of babysitters, favorite restaurants and more. Best of all, it comes with 442 (yes, exactly 442) colorful stickers to use as reminders. A great gift for only $14.00. Available at The Chocolate Cake Club .

BEAUTY 411 I just discovered Beauty Banter and am I ever grateful! This well-written blog includes makeup reviews, recipes for facial products, step-by-step directions for applying makeup, styling hair and more. Talk about a treasure trove. One of the most helpful pieces of advice I found is for applying Oscar Blondi's Pronto Dry Shampoo. Given that the bottle has a narrow applicator at the top, this shouldn't be difficult. However, The Beauty Whore (this is the author's name, honestly) suggests putting the powder in the palms of your hands, pressing them together to remove excess then finger combing through your hair. Perfect for greasy bangs.

SUBTLE HALLOWEEN WEAR Not big on Halloween costumes? Tired of being nagged about your lack of the 'holiday' spirit? Harry Potter costumes are big this year. Hair accessory company Sassy Tails has a sophisticated silk head scarf designed to look like the neckties worn by the Hogwarts students. There's one for every 'house' - you can choose your allegiance by color!

MORE YUMMY CASHMERE We love cashmere. Don't we? And it only makes sense that babies will love the soft texture against their delicate skin. The Pashmina Store sells decadent cashmere baby blankets in a variety of soft colors and fun patterns. Best of all? They're machine washable (cold water, etc)! The site also fulfills one of my cardinal rules of gift shopping - for every gift I buy for another person I'm entitled to buy one for myself. The is the go-to site for luxurious, affordable and quality pashmina shawls in a plethora of colors and weights. I know what I'm getting for Christmas!

JOIN THE CHOCOLATE CAKE CLUB! Membership in the Club is easy - just sit back, relax and shop! That's right. The Chocolate Cake Club's goal is to simplify the sometimes daunting process of shopping for little ones. I'm always clueless when shopping for nieces, nephews and rest of the kids in my life. And 4-year olds don't always enjoy opening a pretty box and finding a little plastic gift card. The Chocolate Cake Club is the perfect solution. The site is packed with original - and sometimes unique - toys and activities that you won't see anywhere else. And they're organized in convenient categories - by need (traveling), age groups, and type (kids games/puzzles). My favorite? The Playful Chef Kids Cooking Set . It has everything for the budding chef: apron, tools, recipes and more!

YES, YOU CAN LOOK PRETTY POST-SURGERY October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month ; a time for all of us to be aware of medical advances, the need for funding for more research, and steps we can take to lower our risks of becoming 'victims'. However, we don't often hear about products that help women post-surgery. Wear Ease, Inc. addresses the challenge of clothing that can be worn immediately after surgery, lumpectomies, radiation therapy and other treatments. The camisoles and bras are designed with imput from women who need easy-to-wear, comfortable camisoles and bras. The PJs in this picture have a built-in bra and pockets for breast form/s. Just what a girl needs to feel pretty in a difficult time. We all know how important self-exams are though I suspect many of us neglect to do them. For a refresher go to Health Day .

FASHION 911 The countdown has started; in exactly 18 days I'm leaving for my first trip to New York City. Needless to say, my wardrobe (which consists mainly of jeans, t-shirts and sweats) needs a major overhaul. Thank goodness for my fellow bloggers! First item on the list - the perfect bag. I found inspiration at The Bag Snob - thank you ladies! For the best help in shoe shopping go to Haute Momma Stuff . The ladies find hot styles in prices to fit every pocketbook. And a huge thanks to The Daily Obsession for endless advice and resources.

RE-PURPOSE IS THE WORD Recycle, reuse, reclaim - we know the words, use them daily. But do you 're-purpose' yet? That's exactly what the folks do over at The Green Glass Company . The artists take wine bottles reclaimed from wineries and give them a second life - in the same industry. The bottles are cut and redesigned to be used as goblets, tumblers, candleholders and more. The result - beautifully re-purposed stemware. Everything the company does is environmentally-friendly, from the sandblasting done for decorative design to the packaging material they use. The glasses are available in collections comprised of the same kinds of wine bottles. The goblet here is from the Topaz Collection and is made from a reclaimed California chardonnay bottle. It's available with the Equus pattern frosted on it (see the picture), or reverse - or with no pattern at all. There are 14 collections and oodles of other beautiful things.

TIME FOR A NEW LOOK ? I scooted over to Inmod minutes after reading this post on Daily Candy last Tuesday. I recently redecorated my bedroom but one look at the beautiful custom linens at Inmod and I'm ready to do it again. Like many design-your-own-purse companies, Inmod lets you select the fabric, color and pattern design of your duvet. Select a base fabric, choose from oodles of modern designs, decide upon colors for the embroidery and you're done. They have 'recommended configurations' (this picture is one of them) for the creatively-challenged . I already have two or three creations of my own . . .

READY TO BE A BITER? Before you answer this question take a look at Ideal Bite , a fun site loaded with tips about going 'green'. Changing habits and products isn't always easy; this site and blog offers tips and information about small things we can do to help preserve our planet. In addition to providing daily 'bites' of information the site has an archive of past tips. I found a gem while skimming through past posts. Saying 'no' to printed catalogs and printed 'junk mail' is easier said than done; once in the clutches of mailing lists it's hard to get out. Ideal Bite offered a list of services that will actually help you escape these tree killers. Go to this post for information about sites and services that will help you "just say no''.

GROWING LOVE Over the years we've seen a lot of beautiful greeting cards that include seed packets. Some of the newer designs let you toss some dirt right over the package, water it and let it grow. No unnecessary packaging. One of my favorite bloggers, Zem at ecofabulous , keeps me up-to-date with beautiful products and creative ways to live a 'greener' life. Her recent post about Plantable Papers is a great example. Their handmade paper is made of cotton and other recycled materials and is 'seeded' - embedded with wildflower seeds. I particularly love their wrapping paper - 'planting' it takes a step out of a labor-intensive recycling process. This is a wonderful example of a Cradle to Cradle product that makes living a greener lifestyle just a little bit easier.

LET'S CELEBRATE! This is a VIP (Very Important Post) - it's my 100th post! Congratulations to me! If I've learned anything while blogging I've learned to relax and have fun. Sure, everything I post is going out into cyberspace where zillions of people can pore over it for years. But who really cares? As long as I can post a pretty picture and spit out a few coherent sentences I'm happy. A pink cake like this would make me even happier. It's one of the creative yummies you can see at Coolest Birthday Cakes where you can find recipes and pans for cake designs ranging from Dora the Explorer to lambs and alligators to monster trucks. Like everything else on the Net - there's something for everybody.

PRETTIER AND PRETTIER Plus size clothing is becoming big business (terrible pun intended). Which is good! For too many years there were too few choices for ladies of a certain size who wanted to look stylish and sexy. One of the companies leading the market in providing quality apparel is Plus Size Plum . Deborah, owner of the business, is a champion for larger women who want to look chic. Her many years modeling and working in high-end retail give her a keen eye for quality fashion. Some of the items I noticed on her site, these chemises , look like they can easily do double-duty. Pair this one with a cardigan and you have a perfect outfit for an informal party. (Would you describe the gorgeous black gown pictured here as cool and classy or just plain hot?)

UNIQUE - AND ECO-FRIENDLY - GIFTS Ever wonder what happens to those discarded bottles you see on the side of the highway? If they're found by Nicole at Paloma Pottery they're destined to become art. By fusing recycled and crushed glass into pottery she creates jewelry (the pendant on the left is my favorite piece), candleholders, tiles - and much more. Nicole gives shoppers over 30 products to choose from - each available in a choice of eight colors. Two of her best-sellers - these ring holders make perfect birthday or shower gifts. And the price is very friendly - only $26.75 (it's also available in a smaller size for $23.00).

A TRUE SMART BARGAIN You never know what you'll find on Smart Bargains . I scan it periodically looking for great steals and deals. This particular find just begs to be shared! I'm not a fan of licensed products; being a walking ad has never been my thing. But this Hello Kitty sweater may change that. Soft heather gray. Lightweight cashmere. Vee neck. 62% off the original price - it's only $119.99. I know what the next charge on my AmEx may be.

ALREADY SHOPPING FOR FALL Fall and winter styles are already out. It's time to go shopping! Gray's one of the hot colors this season - it's a great addition and/or substitute for black. And it doesn't hurt to have neutral colors with all of the bright jewel tones. I've been loving Harveys Seatbelt Bags since I saw the first one. Here's one of their newest styles - notice the gray with black. The bag comes in a variety of contrasting colors and styles - here's a peek . I also like this bag from the Treecycle collection - the subtle shades of gray and light brown give it a sophisticated look. The Treecycle bags have hemp lining with eco-friendly ink.