If you don’t know much about me, you should know this…I love hearing people’s stories! Pair that with a party (preferably with cupcakes covered in TONS of frosting…actually just the frosting if you won’t judge :)) and you’ve pretty much made my day! Each one of us has such unique life experiences that shape us into the people we are today…and the chapters of those stories continue to be written! In the last four years that I have had the blessing of growing this little hand-made business, my heart to hear the stories behind the small businesses out there has grown as well. It has opened my eyes to the passion, frustrations, excitement, successes and failures that are behind each small business. With that, my disdain for the big box retailers of the world has grown as well (Read: I can now actually walk into Target for toilet paper WITHOUT spending $100), but that is a topic for another day. If I can shop handmade or support a local business, I will. I don’t mind spending a little more when it means I am a small part of someones story. So, when my friends, Cate and Tammy with Wild Ruffle, decided to put together this super fun InstaParty…it inspired me to throw a little UH party of our own and share the stories of small businesses with products that I LOVE!!

So, here is how this party is going down…Each day throughout the month of August that you post a picture on Instagram {rockin’ your halo using the hashtag #urbanhalo and themes listed*}, you will be entered to win an amazing gift basket. The basket will not only include a studio scarf and halos, but a bunch of other cool products made by some way cool people!  I can’t wait to share the prizes with you throughout the coming weeks!

First up is this crazy cool water bottle from Motivation Bottle. Little known fact about me….I have a slight obsession with cool water bottles. Water bottles and journals. It should be noted, maybe in one of those journals, that I don’t journal. But, I do drink water, so it’s not a total loss :). I recently came across this water bottle on Instagram and had to check them out. I was crazy excited to find out that the designer and brains behind this water bottle is just like me…a gal who had a problem and set out to solve it! I was even more pumped to find out that owner, Susanna, is a recent UrbanHalo fan!

Here is Susanna’s inspiration behind these inspirational bottles (that Haute Head halo looks amazing on her, right?):

“I have always been an athlete, so drinking water was a must. I played tennis at the University of South Carolina and we were always pushed by our coaches to drink water. I wasn’t very good at remembering so I would mark my bottle each time I filled it to make sure I was getting enough water in. I decided to take that idea and put it on a water bottle, no more pens! I have recently been into infusing my water, so when designing the bottle, I made sure the mouth was large enough to add whatever infusions you  like.  I thought it would be motivational to add different quotes and colors to the bottles, plus we all know you can never have enough water bottles!”

Our InstaParty winner is going to receive a “SORE TODAY, STRONG TOMORROW” water bottle! Yipee!!!

xo,

Jen

*If your instagram is a private account, we will not be able to see your posts to enter the contest. As an alternative, you can post your “entry” on our Facebook page.