Online sample sales

If you like nabbing up good buys on high-end brands, you're going to love the new online sample sale craze! I'm completely addicted to these little gems and check many of them every weekday for new sales on brands like Puma, Gucci, Vera Wang, and more (they also carry children's and men's brand as well as home decor)! Could I ever afford most of these brands without a little help? No. Would I be willing to try them with a little discount? Of course! Here are the main sites I check out each day:

HauteLook (click on the name to visit their site)
My favorite online sample sale spot! I’ve now made two purchases with them and am very happy with the company.

GoMatta Girls
Great finds, usually under $50!

GiltGroupe and GiltFuse
Gilt Groupe itself is a little too pricey for me. I just can't get excited about a Prada dress that normally retail for $1,500 and is now available for a mere $600! However, they have a new site, GiltFuse, that carries only items less than $150. Recent brands included Juicy Couture.

Not related to this great stores is the fact that I haven't exactly been posting on a regular schedule since the spring. This is not an accident. Mr. Bean and I moved cross country. He started studying for the bar exam and I started looking for a job, and now we're both working new jobs that keep us happy but busy. I had a lot of fun creating The Sweet Jelly Bean blog this spring and hope that you had just as good of a time reading it. I hope we can meet again before too long.

InStyle.com's Virtual Makeover Studio

Hey, it's Friday. Let's just be ridiculously silly and conclude this hellish workweek by playing with InStyle.com's Virtual Makeover Studio. I only discovered it last night, and instead of using it as it probably is intended, I made myself into a 1980s chic/drag queen. Oh, and Eva Longoria Parker (below).

This post concludes The Bean's Go Glam Week. Join us on Monday for the SwitchFlops giveaway wrapup and the start of Geek Week! Have a great weekend.

Ex-Boyfriend Jewelry, a site to seek vengeance..and pretty things

Happy Friday! What a quick workweek it's been! I feel like the days have really flown by - I haven't really had a chance to post anything aside from giveaway results since Wednesday!

I have a site to share with you today that I find a little tongue-in-cheek, a little sad, and a little vengeful! It's called Ex-Boyfriend Jewelry, and is an online marketplace where you call sell old jewelry and trinkets from your exes: ex-boyfriends, ex-girlfriends, ex-wives, ex-husbands, same sex-ex, etc. As the site explains:

Welcome to EXBOYFRIENDJEWELRY.COM - a site where you can buy/sell/trade and blog about all of those little reminders in your jewelry box that make you wonder “what did I ever see in him?”, or “where have all the cowboys gone?” You set your own price. You get it off your chest and out of your sight. Just because you don’t want it, doesn’t mean somebody else isn’t dying for it. Everyone’s a winner! Maybe you love him, maybe you never want to speak to him again, but either way, you’re ready to move on and make a little rent money in the process.

Here's an example of what you might find on the site. A girl is selling a pair of diamond earrings given to her by an ex-boyfriend. Her husband (yes, she's now happily married) doesn't like her wearing them and now is willing to buy her a new pair if she'll get rid of the ones the ex gave her! Valued at $1,800 by a jeweler, you can buy them through this site for $400! Even if you're not in the mood to buy some new sparklies, stop by sometime. It's a cute, perky site and a lot of the sellers on there are really positive!

The Bean's Pick: Patina

Sorry I haven't posted yet today. I saw this 1/2 vintage, 1/2 mod glass vase in a magazine and had to hunt down the website behind it: Patina. Unfortunately I got sucked into their vortex of product goodness and forgot all about sharing this store with you!

Patina has a little bit of everything. They have more than 30 shopping categories ranging from standards like "At Home" and "Necklaces" to more unique areas such as "Ticky Tacky Fun" and "Momiji." Some of my favorite things I found:

1. Bohemian Tea Towel, $6.95
2. Salt and "Peeper" Shaker, $10.95
3. Dream Journal, $16.95
4. Fringe Dot Vase, $48.00

Okay, off to go drool over their goods some more.

Tea time

Yesterday afternoon the book club I'm in had its monthly book club meeting. Each month we try to pick somewhere new (many of us have tiny apartments that aren't large enough to host large groups), and this time we chose a tea room. There were over 100 teas to choose from and they actually had crummpets! We all had a great time, and the afternoon inspired me to tell you a little bit about one of my favorite tea shop, Teavana.

Since it's a national chain of stores, you may have seen one in your local mall (there are currently over 80 locations across the United States). Teavana specializes in loose leaf teas available in practically any variety you can think of: white, green, black, oolong, herbal, and more. Their philosophy is that you get a better tea from allowing the leaves to actually have contact with the hot water rather than just bleeding flavor through a tea bag. I was never really a fan of loose leaf teas until I found this place. I thought that they were too hard to use, strain, etc. Teavana offers a number of products, including their signature Perfect Tea Maker, that allow you to create heavenly tea from fresh leaves.


Teavana's real stars, however, are the teas themselves. My current two favorite varieties are Almond Biscotti black tea ("with the scrumptious "cookie-like" flavor of almonds and cinnamon bits, especially tempting sweetened with rock cane sugar and a splash of milk") and Snow Geisha, a delicate white tea. Not only can you get delicious teas in dozens of varieties, but Teavana also specializes in custom blends. When summer comes, for example, I might want to brighten up my Snow Geisha with a bit of fruity flavor, so I might try their Snowy Peach Geisha Tea Blend, a combination Geisha and Rooibos Peach. Yum!

I am no tea snob - for example, I'm drinking a green tea this morning that costs $1.49 for 20 bags. However, if I'm in the mood to splurge, I visit my nearby Teavana or their website (they ship across the world). Next time you're in the mood for a "spot" of tea, I recommend that you pop over to Teavana and give them a try.

The Bean's Pick: Doodle 4 Google, a contest for the world's budding artists

If you use Google (or are obsessed with it like me), maybe you've noticed that its logo sometimes changes depending on the current holiday or time of year. Doodle 4 Google is a competition that invites K-12 students to play around with the Google logo to create new variations on it. This year's theme if "What I Wish for the World."

Registration closes at 11:59:59 PM Pacific time on March 17, 2009 and entries are due by 11:59:59 PM Pacific time on March 31, 2009. Only teachers or school employees should register. Parents or students who are interested should contact their teacher to register them.Teachers, you'll find everything you need to get started on the Registration page.

The Doodle 4 Google competition is open to all U.S. residents between the ages of 5 and 18 who attend elementary and secondary schools (i.e. grades K-12) in the U.S. Doodles will be judged in the following brackets:

Kindergarten - Grade 3
Grade 4 - Grade 6
Grade 7 - Grade 9
Grade 10 - Grade 12

The entries from all 50 states will then be cut into 10 different regions for judging purposes. There will be up to 400 state finalists, 40 regional winners, 4 national finalists, and 1 "National Winner of Doodle 4 Google." The National Winner's doodle will 'go live' on the Google homepage for 24 hours. The National Winner will win a $15,000 college scholarship to be used at the school of their choice, a trip to the Google New York Office, a laptop computer, and a t-shirt printed with their doodle. The winner's school will also be given a $25,000 technology grant towards the establishment/improvement of a computer lab.

After finding about this contest, my favorite thing was exploring the regional winners from last year. Some of them are truly amazing! Click here to visit them, or click here to learn more about the contest.

I'm a winner!

I've never really won much of anything. Once when I was 10 years old my mom let me pick Lotto numbers for her. We won $3.00. Then I once won a CD at a Best Buy grand opening when I was in middle school. I was feeling pretty good about it until I walked by the promo section and saw they were $4.99. That's...about...it.

And then I started blogging and reading everyone's blogs obsessively and entered several of your giveaways. This year I have won three (3!) contests! As an additional way of saying thank you to both the blog owners and the shops that sponsored the giveaways, here is a lineup of the treats I've won:

Truffle Button Magnets from Etsy seller Romantic Treasures, giveaway hosted by Simple Finds - these are adorable (they help keep me from caving into real chocolate ALL THE TIME and I like that they help me organize my scatterbrained fridge)!



Sweetheart Orange Apron from Carolyn's Kitchen, giveaway hosted by Cookie Girl Creations - somehow this apron manages to look sweet and sexy! I like to wear it when I'm making sweet treats for my Etsy shop.







Amethyst and Sterling Earrings from Etsy seller Oh2122, giveaway hosted on Oh2122's blog - I just found out that I won these earlier this week. I love purple and cannot wait to show them off to the other ladies at work - hopefully I can send them to Oh's shop.

Please visit these fantastic shops and blogs, and many thanks to you all for your generosity!

Spa treatment recipes

Recently I featured a few ideas for thrifty DIY spa-at-home treatments that I thought you might like to try out. Since then I've found a list of spa treatment recipes at Spa Index for face, body, lips, hair, hands and feet. Choices include everything from a Chocolate Facial Mask (I think I might try to eat this) to Champagne Bubble Bath to a Bay Rum Aftershave for men. There are 100 recipes on here, so there's bound to be one that suits your needs and that you can make using normal everyday ingredients you probably already have in your household.


Last night I found that I had all of the ingredients to make the Honey Oatmeal Facial, which includes buttermilk, ground oatmeal, and honey. I decided to make 1/2 of the recipe and then followed the instructions and found that I had made a paste that resembled...well, oatmeal. Yet I bravely smeared the mixture across my face and neck, thereby earning the name "Oatmeal Face" from Mr. Bean. I left it on for 15 minutes, then rinsed it off using a warm washcloth. The results? Nothing spectacular so far. I'm not sure if this is supposed to be moisturizing or help your skin look brighter, etc. but it was kind of fun to do something at home using things I already keep around. Let me know if any of you decide to try any of these recipes. I'd really like to try the Bath Cookies recipe sometime soon!

7 minute animated explanation of the The Crisis of Credit

From CrisisofCredit.com - this helped me understand the economic crisis SO much! Hit play - you will not regret it!

Sampler Boxes

As I previously mentioned, my new obsession is sampler boxes. After getting three of them (Out of the Box Sampler, Get Eurofied Sampler, and Pets Jubilee Sampler), I decided to go digging through Google to see if I could find more and...jackpot! Here are some that I'm dying to try out!

Lemming Central Sampler Boxes, $20 for USA with free shipping, includes beauty and candle products

The Little Black Box, $20 with free shipping, US only, includes jewelry, bath and body, candles, bookmarks, keychains, buttons, magnets, luggage handle wraps, silk scarves, pet treats, stationery, photography, tissue cozies and more

Snowberry Creek, $22.95 for USA with free shipping (also ships internationally), includes soaps, candles, ornaments, woodcrafts, coffees, teas, bath and body items

The Sampler, $8 and up plus shipping, various themed sampler boxes

Crafty Cubes/Aroma Cubes, $19.99 with free shipping, soaps, toiletries, candles, some jewelry and stationery

Pink Ribbon Sampler, $22.50 and up with free shipping, you get to CHOOSE your samples, 25% of proceeds go to fighting breast cancer

So the question now is, "Which one should I try first?"

Shop It to Me - "Better than Sample Sales!"

So many times I have fallen in love with an item in an online store only to forget to return later to snatch it up when it goes on sale. Shop It to Me is a new service that can help remedy this by giving you a heads up when your favorite brands goes on sale in your size!

You can think of Shop It To Me as your free personal online shopper. Select your favorite apparel brands (such as Theory, Prada, Armani, Ella Moss, Juicy Couture, Seven Jeans, DKNY, or BCBG) and sizes. We'll scour the websites of leading retailers like Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, Banana Republic, Gap, Zappos and Bluefly and send you a Salemail™ - a daily or weekly email summary of which new items go on sale in your size.

Shop It To Me has partnered with dozens of leading retailers to make sure it will always be a free service. Sign up and recruit 10 friends and you get a $10 gift card! Would you like to sign up to thank me for telling you this great service? Sign up and mention tori correll at gmail dot com as your referrer!

The Perfumed Court

If you're like me and your nose can't make up it's mind on which scent it likes the most, head over to The Perfumed Court, an online store that offers perfume samples and decants of practically any fragrance you can think of. Whether it's the latest from Vera Wang or a vintage you're after, they have it! They even carry discontinued fragrances and those not available in the United States. If you're not sure what you're looking for, you can also search for fragrances by notes or try out one of their themed sample sets (the Day at the Beach and Best Lavender sampler packs piqued my interest). Samples start at $3 and shipping is a flat $5.95, so stop by today!

I've Been Tagged

I’ve been tagged by Vintage Inspired Jewelry and now must name seven things you may not know about me. Since I’m not really the main focus of this blog, I’ll try to make these seven things more about things I think you’ll like.

1. I would go out to eat every night if I could. It’s not that I don’t know how to cook. I actually love to bake and make sweets (hence my Etsy shop), but I love the idea of going out and having food prepared for me, being waited on, and not having to do dirty dishes. Restaurant.com has done wonders to support this obsession – they offer $25 gift cards to restaurants everywhere for huge discounts!

2. I am in love with sampler boxes. In the last week I have received one from Out of the Box Sampler (I’m one of this month’s sellers and had to buy one for myself!), Get Eurofied, and a pet-themed sampler box from Pets Jubilee. If you know of other places to get sampler boxes, please let me know!

3. I tend to get sucked into almost buying a lot of those cheesy “not available in stores” products advertised on TV, but then I go read reviews at this site and almost always come to my senses.

4. My parents first got dial-up in December 1995 when I was 13, so I’ve been online for a while. If I Google my original email address, there are still traces of me out there. Spooky!

5. Mr. Bean and I got married in March 2007, and Bridal Bargains was our Godsend. My parents paid for the majority of the wedding and although I think they would have given me more if I had asked for it, I was determined not to go over budget. With the help of this book, I didn’t. Check it out – a new edition was recently published.

6. I would end up spending…oh, about a million dollars on all of the things that I almost must have. It amazes me what’s available online!

7. I am easily entertained, including by sites such as Where's George, where you enter the serial number off of the cash you’re carrying to see where it’s been.

And now for mis victimas!!:

A Wrestling Addicted Mommy

Blue-Eyed Bride

All Things Fluffy...Fashionable...& Famous

Spoiled Pretty

Lou Lou in Lilly

Misadventures of a Newlywed

Pumpkin Pink Cottage

Good luck!

V-Day Alternative: Bittersweets

Although I consider myself to be a cheesy person full of cheesy sentiments for Mr. Bean (and equally cheesy tastes for the ways he spoils me), I also have a great appreciation for all things sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek. In celebration of this streak and of anti-Valentine's Day, I give you Bittersweets, a new product from Depair, Inc. Their description was so on the mark that I have shared it word-for-word below. Enjoy (and click the photos to enlarge)!

For most, there is no crueler day of the calendar year than that of Valentine's Day. While a tiny fraction of the population can look forward to a holiday of wine and roses, poetry and song, the vast majority of us can anticipate a day of nausea and grimacing, trauma and grief. A day in which minutes seem like hours, and hours like days, as we reflect sorrowfully on yesteryear's romantic indignities, today's loneliness, and the unknowable but certain heartbreak that will be visited upon us repeatedly in the years to come.

When cruelty and holidays collide, the weak-willed find solace in self-pity and comfort foods. And now, Despair Inc. is pleased to announce that we've combined BOTH into a radical new offering.

Introducing Bittersweets® - The Valentine's Candy for the Rest of Us.Like the ubiquitous candy conversation hearts, Bittersweets® are made of flavored, chalky-tasting sugar and sport a message on their face. But unlike other candy hearts, ours are stamped with bitter musings and mockeries perfectly suited to the dejected spirits of those who will spend the holiday alone, or wishing they were.

Messages recalling an almost forgotten, unbearably painful memory of being dumped. Or perhaps of a dysfunctional, psychotic ex-girlfriend or boyfriend. Or of that cruel-hearted girl (or boy) in elementary school who rejected your valentine solicitations, informing you that Jake (or Holly) was "so totally way hotter."Now available in THREE unique collections- "Dejected," "Dysfunctional," and "Dumped"- with each featuring up to 37 unique sayings each!

"Dejected" sayings include: I MISS MY EX PEAKED AT 17 MAIL ORDER TABLE FOR 1I CRY ON Q U C MY BLOG? LOSS LEADER A FINE WHINE MOMMY ISSUES DIGNITY FREE DORK MAGNET PURE NAUSEA WE HAD PLANS MAIL ORDER SETTLE 4LESS I'M HOT INSIDE

"Dysfunctional" sayings include: ANNULMENT I BEEN CREEPIN HE CAN LISTEN GAME ON TV CALL A 900# P.S. I LUV ME DO MY DISHES BOOTY INFL8N PAROLE IS UP! AWFUL INLAWS SUB PRIME I WANT HALFRETURN 2 PIT NO FIX 4 DUMB RATHER DRINK MUTUAL DISGUST

"Dumped" sayings include: I GOT SOBER HE FIT U FAT U LEFT SEATUP USED U 4 FUN JUST A FRIEND BACK 2 KENNEL DORKA PHOBIC U HAVE A BLOGRUSSIAN BRIDE CELEB8 THX2U DOG IS CUTER TRADIN YOU INFORGET WE MET KISS A FROG SHE IS 22! HE HAS A JOB

Truly, Bittersweets® are the perfect gift for you OR for someone you love, especially if that special someone is one who doesn't want to hurt your feelings but just doesn't feel that way about you but still wants to be friends so they can torment you with stories about their crushes on someone who doesn't appreciate them like you do, can't love them like you can, and actually takes pleasure in corralling a herd of fawning "just friends" behind themselves as they indulge in one self-destructive relationship after another, with no hope of ever finding true love, despite an army of souls eager to lavish it upon them. (You know what we're talking about.)

Supplies are limited. But the pain that accompanies them may not be.

Available in six different flavors, including: Banana Chalk, Grape Dust, Nappy-Citric, You-Call-This-Lime?, Pink Sand and Fossilized Antacid.

These little jewels are available for $9.95 each, or buy the set and enjoy them all for $19.95!

GetinHerHead.com - a free online service for the gift giving impaired

Mr. Bean always says that I'm hard to shop for, but I've never understood why. There are so many things I've found online that I like that I started this blog just to cover them! For him, however, it's making sure that 1) it's something that I really like and 2) it's something that I like enough not to return.

I recently located something that can help gents decipher some of the so-called pseudo-hints that we females so delicately drop (apparently they prefer that we just write what we want in Sharpie marker across our foreheads). It is called GetinHerHead.com, a free online service designed to take the guesswork out of gift giving, and includes:

The List - Keep a running gift wish list for them to view any time.
This provides a look into your partner's brain so that you can instantly know what they want and where to get it. Now you can get the perfect gift without having to pry. It doesn't take the fun out of romance or gift giving, it just makes it better.

The Cheat Sheet - Spa treatments to sleeve length, everything they need to know when doing something for you.
The Cheat Sheet puts an end to guesswork on the little details by letting you and your partner list everything from clothing sizes and favorite brands, to favored flowers and sports teams. Fill it out and throw away the receipt, we guarantee you won’t have to visit the Return Counter again. Includes everything from your shoe size to your favorite flower to your favorite place to buy jeans

Heads Up! email reminders - Receive email reminders when you want them and never forget an important date.
Get your black belt in remembering by creating a shared calendar with important dates such as anniversaries, birthdays, and more. We’ll send each of you email reminders as frequently or infrequently as you would like. You’ll never forget a meaningful date again. a reminder service for upcoming anniversaries, birthdays, and more.

Out of the Blue - Act spontaneous, even if you're not. It's the unexpected things that go a long way.
Sign up to receive random “Out of the Blue” emails with suggestions on the little things you can do for your other half. Whether it’s sending her flowers for no reason or picking up his favorite microbrew, you don’t always need a reason to show your partner that you care.

The great thing about this service is that it still allows your significant other to be spontaneous without you having to return the gifts he chooses. Mr. Bean tries so hard, but until now how was he supposed to know my pajama bottom size unless he went pilfering through my panty drawer?

So...results in my experience? None yet, but V-Day is only a week away, so we'll see. There is also a GetinHisHead.com, which is where you can get guys to fill out things that they want - this, however, has not yet happened in my household yet.

Giveaway: Messenger Bag from Satchel Studio

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING! As a recent post described, I am in love with all of the products from Satchel Studio, a San Francisco-based company that specializes in truly unique messenger bags. Satchel Studio combines found images, original photography from around the globe, and familiar iconography to make the unique collages that give these messenger bags true attitude! The company features two signature messenger bag sizes and a limited-edition hip pack – each of these pieces is available in up to four colors with your choice of design. I contacted the owner and artist, Kelty, and asked her a couple of questions about her work:

Tell us a little about Satchel Studio and how you got started.
Satchel Studio began almost two years ago in the same manner as most of my business adventures have- as a gift for someone. I grabbed an old army surplus messenger bag for my boyfriend and decided it would be that much cooler if I added some transferred collages to the front... it looked so cool that I haven't stopped making them! I graduated from Stanford in 2005 and Satchel Studio has been my main endeavor since then.

Where do you get your inspirations from?
Most of my designs begin with one element that I just KNOW I want to use in the collage and I sort of just go from there. I'm inspired by bright color, textures, nature, city, and vintage prints. I've also begun to incorporate a lot of my photography into the designs (see the limited editions), and love doing custom collage work for people! My greatest inspiration is the world and the people around me, and seeing how all of those parts interact together with the above list of elements is more fun than any girl could hope for.

What are your plans for 2009?
2009 has been an exciting year for me already! Soon, I will be launching Steep Street, a website representing my various non bag-related adventures in the art world. My photography, mini websites, print work, jewelry, custom collages, personal books, invitations, announcements, and other knick knacks... you can see the beginnings of this on my blog and more updates are coming soon! I'm also planning on debuting a new line of bags, and will continue making custom designs on bags for people. In this tough economy, I've decided to stick with the things people want and need most... useful gifts that are meaningful to both the giver and receiver- which also happens to be the most rewarding to me, as well. Thank you!

After tirelessly answering all of my questions, I asked Kelty if she’d be interested in participating in a giveaway on The Bean and she said yes! One lucky winner will receive the fantastic butterfly messenger bag shown here, a $55 value! Some simple steps to enter:

1. FOR ONE ENTRY: Visit Satchel Studio and check out all of the designs and pick your favorite. Return to The Sweet Jelly Bean blog and post a comment to this post identifying your favorite (please don’t just steal an answer from someone else’s comment). Be sure to leave your email address instead of commenting anonymously (if you’re not logged in) so I can notify winners!

2. FOR A BONUS ENTRY: Begin following this blog – please post a separate comment here if you are already doing so or if you begin to do so.

3. FOR 2 BONUS ENTRIES: Mention this giveaway on your own blog and link back to The Sweet Jelly Bean. Please comment on this post to let me know you've done so!

This giveaway ends Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at Noon PST. The winner will be chosen using random.org, and will be contacted following the close of the contest. Good luck everyone, and please send a special thanks to Kelty for her generosity! She’s very talented and we wish her the very best!

Cool Office Picks to Get You Through Monday

Monday morning. Ick.

Are you Superbowl-ed out? Ate all the guacamole (oh wait, that was me)? One too many Long Island Iced Touchdown Teas? I understand, and to top it all off, it's Monday! Blah. To get your workweek off to a good start, please consider adding the following items to your desk, whether it be in a corporate high-rise or in your home study.

Useless Folders by Knock Knock, $9 for 6

Made by Knock Knock, one of my favorite paper companies for tongue-in-cheek products.

Working Girl's Survival Kit, $43

Includes Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Dental Floss, Mints, Pain Reliever, Emery Board, Clear Nail Polish, Nail Polish Remover, Nail Clipper, Hand Lotion, Facial Tissues, Deodorant, Tampons, Adhesive Bandages, Folding Hair Brush, Interior Mirror, Lint Remover, Mending Kit, Shoe Shine Wipes, Stain Remover, Static Guard®, and Lip Balm.

Day at the Beach Desk Display, $10

When you discover that that 4pm meeting with the consultants has not been moved to Maui, escape to your own oasis with your very own ounce of sand.

PepperPot Mouse Pads, $6.95/each

Imagining one of these on my desk just makes me want to work (not really, but it would look cool)!

Snail Tape Dispenser, $20

Yes, an overpriced tape dispenser, but a very cool overpriced tape dispenser!

Earrings for Sensitive Ears

I've always been a sensitive person: tenderhearted with moody skin that crispy critters in the sunlight since I look like a vampire, and sometimes even Cetaphil burns my face. So it didn't come as a huge shock when I started having trouble wearing earrings a few years ago. At first I could still wear pure gold earrings, just not costume jewelry, but it got worse and worse until I couldn't even wear gold anymore without my ears burning, itching, and stinging. I tried Neosporin, then hydrogen peroxide, and then Cortisone, then I got creative and tried painting the posts with clear nail polish. When that failed I even bought some nickel free earrings from the department store. No dice. I gave up for a long while, then decided to scour the internet a few months ago to find the Holy Grail of all earrings for sensitive ears. After running through a couple dozen websites trying to A) figure out what I did to piss my ears off and B) locate a type of earring I might be able to wear, I lucked out!

Allow me to introduce you to Maggie's Creations, an online company specializing in earrings for those who can't even wear the gentlest of metals without issues. The owner began to experience these issues herself about 10 years ago, and has since launched an entire line of earrings ranging from studs to fullblown chandelier earrings (as well as doing plenty of research on what causes this and how to remedy it). Her earrings come in two metals: niobium and titanium, both of which are surgical quality.

After emailing back and forth with Maggie about my issues, she recommended that I start with a pair of niobium healer earrings, which are designed with re-introduce your ears to the idea of wearing earrings. I chose a pair of small, colored hoops. The first couple of days, as she had warned they might be, were rough. The earrings itched like crazy, but there was no burning, and the discomfort lessened as I continued to follow her careful instructions. I showered in them, slept in them, lived in these earrings for a week. By Day 3, my ears were no longer fighting back. By Day 5, I had forgotten I was wearing them.

It seems like wearing the earrings as Maggie directed have helped. As she told me, some people can use her products to re-train their ears to allow all sorts of metals, while others find that her earrings are the only thing they can wear. I still don't wear any earrings very much, but I can get away with some wear here and there. Today I wore a pair of sterling silver earrings and managed to keep them in until after work!

I truly recommend Maggie's Creations to anyone who has sensitive ears. I can't say that these products are cheap, but she does have a sale page and will even let you return earrings if they cause you problems. In addition, I'd rather spend $40 on a pair of earrings I know I can wear than that much on normal earrings that will end up in a drawer unloved. She has some really cute styles, so check her out!

Swag Bucks

I recently joined an online program I stumbled upon called Swag Bucks. In spite of its iffy title (Really, that's the best they could come up with?), it's a very unique program where you run searches for things on the Internet like you normally do (they use a Google platform so you know it works). The cool part is that each search you do through this program can randomly earn you "swag bucks," which you can save up and redeem for anything from $5 Amazon gift cards to Apple IPhones. Click the SwagBucks graphic in this post to sign up and I'll also get a little bonus for referring you (which I would very much appreciate)!

The Bean's First Blog Award

Stop the presses! The Sweet Jelly Bean has received its very first award! Many thanks to Mrs. D for giving The Bean its very own Honest Scrap award. To accept, I must follow these rules:

1. Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.
2. Show the 7 blog names with links on your blog, then leave them a comment informing them of their “Honest Scrap” prize.
3. List at least 10 honest things about yourself.

Wow, I’m flattered! However, since this blog is not really meant to be personal and is designed to be more about the products and sites I talk about, I’ll make the 10 things about me relate to that:

1. I am a girly girl. A good 3% of my annual income goes into such obsessions as Sephora. Upon entering this place, I wonder if I have found Atlantis.

2. I love to take baths (one day I hope we’ll move up from a normal tub/shower combo to a Roman tub)! My current favorite place to buy bathing acoutrements is Lush.

3. I’m secretly a cat lady even if I am married! If Mr. Bean wasn’t as watchful as he is, I would have millions of cat accessories adorning our apartment.

4. I will give money to a cause that I care about without a second thought, but will stand in the grocery store aisle for 10 minutes trying to decide which bags of chips to buy. My favorite charity is the ASPCA.

5. I’m 5’9” and accessorize with heels all the time, including some $27 ankle boots I recently scored at Endless.com.

6. I love candy over potato chips, french fries, or anything else sensible in the world. My favorites are SweetTarts, Spree’s, and ShockTarts (I should own stock in Wonka Candy, the company that makes all three of these).

7. The two places I want to visit most are South Africa and Australia. Mr. Bean and I are scouring deals on TravelZoo for a possible vacation in August.

8. We finally got a Wii Fit and I love it. It's the only type of video game I've really been into since I was about 9. I also get a real kick out of designing Mii people.

9. I could honestly spend hours looking at all the things on Etsy! I also have a store there that you should visit.

10. I’m really into birds, especially chickadees. We had two on top of our wedding cake, two on our wedding invitations, and obviously I adorn my blog with one.

Okay, enough about me! Here are 7 of my favorite blogs (there are SO many good ones out there) in no apparent order:

1. Hostess with the Mostess

2. Junkmail Greetings

3. I Can Has Cheezburger

4. FAIL Blog

5. Funky Finds

6. Bee and Rose

7. Little Birdie Secrets