Spotlight On: Stumpy Brothers

This week's spotlight is on Stumpy Brothers! An Etsy shop I stumbled upon recently and fell in love. Stumpy Brothers offers fine hand crafted wood products perfect as corporate or personalized gifts.

So Cute!

Of course you know I was was interested in their wooden essential oil key chain diffuser! This is perfect on-the-go Aromatherapy for you avid oil users like myself.

It provides just the right amount of Aromatherapy to get me through the day. I especially enjoy diffusing in the car while driving. I use a mixture of Balance and Bergamot oil (both grounding oils) to help me work through whatever road rage I may be experiencing. It's easy to use and effective!

So Easy!

It's simple yet classic look is timeless and it fits easily on my key chain. They offer a wide range of premium quality gifts that can suit all your needs. You can check out their Etsy shop here.

Guess what?

Stumpy Brothers was kind enough to offer a FREE key chain diffuser to one of my oil junkies! If you aren't an oil addict (like myself), then you will be with this awesome diffuser! I will personally include a free bottle of essential oil in case the winner doesn't have one to start with.

All you have to do is enter the raffle below, a winner will be announced Thursday, February 19th. Enter Now!

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Essentially Yours,

Erika

Essential Oils: Free Bag Giveaway!!

Hello my name is Erika, and I love essential oils.

My love of essential oils and how they've improved my life are no secret on this blog.

What do I love about essential oils?

• I love being able to provide safe and natural healing for my family, instead of relying on over the counter pharmaceuticals with ingredients I couldn't begin to pronounce let alone understand any long-term effects they may have.

• I love that they work with my family's body in healing whatever everyday (sometimes not-so-everyday) ailments they have, instead of introducing chemicals that are foreign to the body therefore creating other issues that need to be addressed.

• I love that essential oils has somewhat put a bit more control of this area of my life back into my hands, instead of the hands of people who profit more from my family's sickness than their  wellness.

There's nothing worse than having to rush your child to the doctor only to hear that it's some sort of virus and you will just have to sit idly by and wait it out while they suffer. Not anymore!

Don't get me wrong, I respect modern medicine and the contributions its made to society. However, not all issues are cause for prescription medication. I can't tell you how many times I have seen experiences with doctors who prescribe medication for a symptom (treating the symptom instead of the patient), which then causes a side effect that now requires another medication. Pretty soon you are taking three medications for that one initial ailment and it all snowballs out of control. No wonder we are a "script happy" nation with an insane addiction rate. Like everything in life I believe there is a balance, take care of what you can at home (like people have done for centuries) and save the medicine for the really serious stuff and respect the opinions of trained professionals.

Which brings me to my point! Yes I have one...

There are an arsenal of different oils I carry with me daily. Not just in my handy-dandy key chain that you can purchase here. I also carry oils for everyday battles like scraped knees, headaches, tummy aches, etc.. Up until now I've just been carrying it in an old cosmetic case or pencil case. I dropped the chic and went straight for shabby!

Enter Honeybees Boutiques! This awesome Etsy shop makes the cutest specialty essential oil bags that can hold up to eleven 15ml essential oil bottles! Color me happy (Fun fact: Etsy is my go-to for any custom items I need, or party planning ideas)! Both functional and stylish, I no longer have to worry about whipping out my worn ol' cosmetic case (may she R.I.P.) every time I need an oil. Who says "Crunchy" can't be cute?

Oil bags aren't the only items in the shop, there are a bunch of cute custom items for purchase.  Renee, the creative wonder behind this adorable shop was kind enough to host a giveaway! All you need to do to be eligible for the raffle is click on the link below, and Like our Essentially Erika Facebook Fan Page starting now! Click here to submit on your mobile app. You have until Sunday, September 28th. I will announce the winner on Monday, September 29th. Good Luck oil lovers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you don't win no worries, I take care of all of my readers! Just visit Honeybees Boutique on Etsy and enter coupon code ESSENTIALOILS10 at checkout for 10% off!

For any info on Essential Oil Education Classes, please e-mail EssentiallyErika@gmail.com.

If you'd like to check out any of the essential oils pictured above, click here.

Islamora-da-da-da-da! Enter Now & Win!!!

If you follow me on Instagram @essentiallyerika, then it's no secret we just came back from our summer family vacation. 

As I've mentioned in the past ( maybe only once or fifteen times) I'm a native New Yorker, my idea of a vacation is somewhat skewed. 

Living in Boca Raton, I've felt like it's a very laid back lifestyle( Florida in general gives me that feeling), I've even referred to it as "country". Whenever I speak to southerners they always refer to Boca Raton as "busy" or "city life". We'll, now I understand. 

It wasn't until I ventured further south that I can fully appreciate "remote living". My family and I were lucky enough to win a wonderful 3 day / 2 night stay at the wonderful Guy Harvey Resort in lovely Islamorada Key. This.Place.Rocks.

We stood in the Bayside Townhomes, 2 King Beds / 2 Bath units right on the Bay! 

A full gourmet kitchen!

When I first told the boys we would be going on vacation, all they asked was "Are there trains there?"

(Voila! Trains!)

There is PLENTY to do here. Just footsteps from the pool /grill area, did I mention it was right on the Bay?

The hammocks were my favorite! 

We kept ourselves busy basking in the Islamorada sun and lounging at the pool with great food and plenty of Bob Marley tunes to set the mood.

This quaint little property has some of the best sunsets in Islamorada, I was thoroughly impressed!

Okay, just one more...

Staying at the Bayside Townhomes allowed access to the "sister" resort less than a mile away The Guy Harvey Islander Resort. There's more fun to be had here!

Here you can park it under a shady tree on the beach, relax and enjoy the breeze. There's also a huge pool with bar and grill for your lunch and beverage needs. 

I couldn't resist... 

One of the best parts about the Islander is the versatility, there is enough to stay busy in that Islamorada sun all day! (Don't forget your sunblock! That sun is brutal in the summertime) 

We were lucky enough to have enough wind to go sailing, what a cool experience in these crystal clear warm waters! We stood pretty shallow with the boys and all so we were really able to just relax and "be", we took in every moment...

The WaterSorts shack offers all types of water activities such as paddle boarding, kayaking, motor boat rentals and fishing! 

We couldn't pass this up, so off we went on another #naturetrackers adventure!

This was a special moment for all of us. I know I remember the first time I went fishing with my dad, I'm sure they will remember this as the first of many fishing experiences with their dad. 

(Skipping stones with their dad, just love my guys!)

Islamorada is known for their fishing and music, there are tons of places to grab some food and drinks, or even play pool! (Insert finger sprain here, don't ask.) 

It seemed wherever we went in Islamorada we were met with kind faces and great food. I must say one of my favorites was Marker 88, hands down THE BEST key lime pie I've ever tasted, not to mention MORE beautiful views! 

Couldn't resist had to walk the pier..

To sum it all up, I get it.. Islamorada was a win on every level, I can certainly see the allure. Driving back home to Boca Raton was bittersweet. And I thought to myself, it seems so crowded, like CITY LIFE?!?!! Could it be?? This self proclaimed city slicker has gone (dare I say it) FLORIDIAN?? Being far removed from any major plazas or office buildings showed me an appreciation for scaling even further back. The allure in keeping it super simple.

There is something to be said for disconnecting and just taking in the moments slowly and savoring them. Sitting back relishing is life's simple goodness, the beauty in the ordinary. Salty sea air on your lips, warm summer winds in your hair. Letting time skip away with the ones you love, dropping your inhibitions and losing yourself in "child's play". 

We are very grateful to the people of Islamorada and The Guy Harvey Resort, but most of all to Sunflower Creative Arts.  

You too can win an incredible Islamorada getaway by entering the raffle drawing by July 1st. 

Just go to:

http://sunflowercreativearts.gostorego.com/donate/golden-raffle-ticket.html

Enter The Golden Raffle by donating $100 to win, and you could get the exact same vacation experience! All proceeds go to the Sunflower Creative Arts Scholarship Fund. 

Sunflower's scholarship fund helps open the doors to families who could not afford to be apart of the Sunflower community without aid. 

Plus, who could resist these cute little faces?

Enter now to win! I can't wait to see what pictures and memories you come back with!

Essentially Yours,

Erika

green baby fair time!!!

The Green Baby Fair is coming to Miami!! 

Twice a year, The Gathering Place presents The Green Baby Fair. This is the first year I will be attending and I'm so excited to see all the awesome vendors with so many of their "green" baby products!

The Green Baby Fair will be held at the Little Haiti Cultural Center on April 5th from 10am - 4pm. General admission is $10 online or $15 at the door. Children 13 and under are free, this is a family friendly event. For more information, visit Green Baby Fair online.

Good news!! The wonderful people at The Gathering Place  are generous enough to let me raffle off a free ticket to one of my lucky readers!  Just enter to win below! 

Can't wait to meet you there!

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Essentially Yours,

Erika