Bubbles, Suds and More

I love soaps, bubble baths and scrubs and all those other girly things! I am allergic to most floral scents and many natural ingredients so I have to be very careful. I tend to go towards fruit, coconut or peppermint scents. Here are just a couple that I have found to be intriguing or downright gorgeous!


The first one is Lemon Soap enriched and cocoa butter and shea butter from PacificParadiseSoaps.etsy.com. I have not tried this specific soap have tried the Dead Sea Salt Soak and the Whipped Hand and Body Butter with Cocoa Butter, Coconut Oil and Shea Butter. My skin tends to be dry so but body butter is perfect.

Look at this gorgeous soap! How fun is that. This is next on my list of soaps to try. It is from Carol of Intentions.Etsy.com! This one is called Put da lime in da coconut. I cannot wait to try this. I think what intrigued me the most was while the scents were the same as other shops, the originality of the design and color combinations were striking. You look at one item and keep want to go deeper.

Lily of the Valley - This was my grandmother's favorite scent. Wouldn't this look gorgeous in your guest bathroom. Think of your guests being wowed! This beautiful soap is made by Soaps at Soaps.etsy.com. Check out her store for many other fun and gorgeous soaps.


These are just three examples that I think stand out. There are also savor.etsy.com, who I would have included but her shop is on vacation. Very original combinations.

AdorationSoap.etsy.com has a watermelon cooler sugar body polish I am dying to try.

I have also purchased from DennisAnderson.etsy.com and LaveMeSoapCo.etsy.com and I keep coming back for more.


Enjoy, experiment and be clean!

Lampwork Beads - I really do like them afterall!

I have never been fond of lampwork beads. All those dots around another bead seemed rather silly to me. About a month ago I shared a booth with Anita of www.Jewelz076.etsy.com. Anita works mainly with lampwork beads. But there are beads and then there are beads. Anita used to make her own by now purchases from many artisans all over the world.

Check out this gorgeous necklace with a dog of course. See the different lampwork beads and some with paw prints! (You knew I was going to love this one!)

It struck me as being totally different and how much I really liked it.

Besides dogs, I really love the ocean, seashells, sand, dolphins. So imagine my delight when I spied a lampwork seashell bead!

I really enjoy Anita's jewelry. She has a love for glass, jewelry and design. Visit her shop and have a wonderful time!

Another fabulous lampwork artisan is Amy of FormFireGlassworks (FormFireGlassworks.etsy.com). This heart is stunning and I never thought really understood it was a lampwork bead.

What is lampworking: It is a type of glasswork that uses a gas fueled torch to melt rods and tubes of clear and colored glass. Once in a molten state, the glass is formed by blowed and shaping with a variety of tools and hand movements. IT is also knows as flameworking or torchworking, as the moder practice no longer uses oil-fueled lamps. Althought hte art form has been practiced since ancient times, it became widely practiced in Murano, Italy in th 14th century. In the mid 19th centura lampwork technique was extended to the production of paperweights, primarily in France, where if become a popular art form, still collected today. Lampworking differs from glassblowing in that glassblowing utilizes a blowpipe to inflate a glass blob known as a gob or father, thereby inflating it by blowing air into the blowpipe, whereas, lampworking manipulates glass either by the use of tools, gravity or by blowing directly into the end of a glass tube.

Lampworking is used to create various artwork, including figurines, trinkets, curios, Christmas tree ornaments, beads and much more. It is also used to create many scientific instruments as well as glass models of animal and botanical models that so closely mimic the realy thing; they are virtually indiscernible from the actual thing, save the fact that they are not living.

This information was obtained through wikipedia.com.

Here is another example from Amy of AKDLampwork.etsy.com. Look how gorgeous these beads are! I am simply in awe.

The next time I see something I think I don't like, maybe I better investigate a little further.

This blog is a little different. I have been writing about personal beliefs, things happening in the world. I am going to change the tone some and feature some of my favorite sellers or themes.

This is also my first attempt at adding stores and pictures. I need to work on the links going directly to the stores. Baby steps. Never thought I would blog in the first place.

The cowards way!

Today has been overshadowed by everything that has happened in New York State. The horrendous deaths of at least 14 people and no one has any idea why.

I don't understand why killing others is the solution. You are hurting so you are going to make others hurt. Then to top it all off -- you kill yourself. Such a cowardly way to die.

Life takes twists and turns and unfortunately bad things do happen to good people. Words are easy to come by but actions or trying to dig yourself out of a situation can seem hopeless. But to walk into a place and kill people! Unconscienable.

I don't understand. My heart goes out to those affected by this very tragic event.

A Kick in the Pants!

Recently a couple of CCCOE team members were posting about the number of items in shops, featured sellers, etc. They were mentioning how important it is to have your shop(s) fully stocked with as many items as possible. That seems basic enough. Discussion included having about 100 items. WOW! That's a lot and I don't know if I could ever do that.

The more I thought about it, I realized it was very important. With 3 shops, it will be difficult for me to have 100 items each. Within that context, my current goal is 35 in each and then 50 each. After that point, we shall see. Craft shows are upcoming so I will definitely need inventory. Lord knows I certainly have enough fabric and supplies.

I also need to stay focused. I keep saying I am going to do this and do that. Well I better get to it.

So I am on a mission to get my shops there and the sooner the better. So thanks for the kick in the pants. Who knows, maybe I will have an item in a gift guide and even be a featured seller. One can always dream.

What is your biggest fear?

I have often thought that my biggest fear would be to die alone, without the love of that special someone. This stemmed from the death of my first husband and the fact that I felt very, very alone for a long time. While I am still hunting for that special someone, I have friends and family so I will never be truly alone. Of course I have Cody and Copper too!

Recently there was a tragedy where an Etsy member's son died due to the result of a car accident. This little boy, Zachary, was 5 years old. Zachary's aunt is a team member of mine on both the Beagles and CCCOE teams. I do not personally know PineBlossoms.

As word spread through Etsy, many sellers decided to offer the proceeds from sales of their items to help defray the funeral expenses. A website was also established for monetary donations through paypal. Etsy has shut down the thread where items were posted but they are on the Beagle team blog and here is the link: http://etsybeagles.blogspot.com/2009/03/for-zachary.html If you are interested in making a donation directly through paypal, here is the link: http://www.zacharymichaelcruz.com/ I encourage you to look at the pictures of what a cute boy! The picture of him playing baseball is simply adorable!

I cannot imagine what or how the family is feeling; how they are coping. Many comments in the various threads mentioned that a parents biggest fear would be to lose a child. If I could waive a magic wand, no parent would EVER have to face this again. I wish it were that easy.

It made me think again of what is my biggest fear?

A labor of love!

I really enjoy working on the gift guide. The real work is done by Wrenay of shopwhimsy.etsy.com as she puts together all the web stuff that I really don't understand. She also reconfigured the design from the holiday guide to give more exposure with 6 items instead of 2 or 3. Wendy of buttercupbloom.etsy.com trades with Wren on curating the gorgeous front pages. Susan of redbessbonney.etsy.com is running the giveaway. Robyn of handcranked.etsy.com writes the press releases. May of ohmay.etsy.com deals with the chatterbox details and the spotlight segments. Marie of designsbymariejulie.etsy.com helps me with the press releases by researching advertising venues. There are a hundred things I left out of the above too.

All ideas are tossed around and around in weekly meetings. Numerous emails are also sent throughtout the wees. In writing this, it sounds very easy. I can assure you it takes an enormous commitment from everyone and it is a team that pulls it all together.

Please continue to promote http://www.handmadeincalifornia.net/ and don't forget to
sign up for the free giveaway. A new item is given away each week so don't forget to come back each week.

http://www.handmadeincalifornia.net/giveaway.html

Is It All Worth It?

Lately I have been doing lots of thinking - trying to decide if my Etsy businesses are really worth it. Most of my money is made during the winter holidays through the marketing of Christmas tree skirts. I could still do that and having an Etsy presence would not make a difference. I think having a website somewhere does make the difference.

I have three stores, AnnieKDesigns - home decor; CodysCloset - dog items and AnnieKClothing - fashions - mostly accessories. I am happy with the stores and having one store with all these items would be very disjointed. I am trying to expand my line by having lower priced items as well. Maybe I need to realize that I cannot be everything to everyone.

I belong to three teams on Etsy as well and am an active member in each. These teams assist my marketing, sales, etc. The time is well spent. I am significantly scaling back the time I spend on the forums though.

I find that in order to keep my shops full, I pretty much have to sew 4-5 weeknights, 3-4 hours per night and at least one full weekend day. I work a full time job and have two dogs and all the normal household chores. This leaves very little time for anything personal. Last year I had to decide if I wanted to sew or if I wanted to have fun. Therein lies the issue. I haven't found the right balance.

I am cutting back my sewing and trying to go out more and do things. The dogs take an enormous amount of time as they require lots of play time. Copper is still very much a puppy and has to be watched constantly. He still loves to toilet paper the house. Can't wait until that phase is overwith. Studying for my real estate license is also taking lots of time. I also find that the more I study, the more questions I have for my bosses.

As January folds into February, I have decided that yes, Etsy is worth it. Maybe not financially but through the friendship, business advice and fun. I would be lost without the friends I have made.