It's been a Rough Few Months

For those of you who don't know, I tore my wrist to shreds at work. Though I would love to give you a gruesome play by play of the exciting things that I did, leading to what has already been 2 months in a brace, and which will probably be another WHO KNOWS HOW LONG in said brace, possily with some lovely surgery in there...but I can't.  I walked into the rack at the bottom of a blackboard.  That's it.

(Cue taunting).

Yes, I totally tore apart my dominant wrist smacking it into a chalk rack while walking in a classroom.  *sigh*  This has led to all sorts of issues.  Painful writing and showering (and dressing, and tying of shoes, and...), an inability to write legibly, not being able to carry heavy things, needing to learn to use a mouse left handed, my husband having to learn how to do laundry properly, and a full stop to my wire wrapping hobby.

It has also led to a new line of jewelry and my discovery of the wonderful world of solid shampoo and conditioner.

The damage in my wrist has led to a marked decrease in the strength of my grip.  Opening bottles, squeezing things with any kind of force, and maintining my hold on anything heavy is very difficult.  Fortunately, I had bought some solid shampoo and conditioner from Arcadia Aromatics a while back, and they were just waiting for me when I got home from the hospital, and had one hand in a cast that was not to get wet.

As a side note: the reason I had the shampoo sitting around was because in the past, I have had bad experiences with solid shampoos and conditioners, leading to sticky, gummy hair, and a rough hour in the shower trying to get all of the gook out of my hair. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous going into the shower that day.

To my great pleasure and surprise, the shampoo and conditioner worked BETTER than commercial shampoo and conditioner!!  I am never going back!  My hair has been shinier, softer, and more manageable than it has ever been.  I have the kind of hair that requires daily washing, and STILL is more often than not involved in a "bad hair day," but not anymore!  It's a whole new world.

Now, Arcadia Aromatics' Etsy store has all sorts of wonderful scents of shampoos and conditioners, and some really fun looking soaps, too.  Just check this one out!!

That's SOAP!!  How awesome is that??  They have "regular looking" soaps, too.  I picked up a few, and they work as well as their shampoo and conditioner.  It's a one stop shop of awesome.

Now, I had not been using Arcadia Aromatics' soap until recently, because for the last MONTH AND A HALF, I have been using the world's largest sample soap from Indian Moon Soap.  I got a "sample" of soap from Indian Moon Soap in my Sampler Village Box a few months ago. The sample they sent is bigger than most full sized bars!!  The soap also came in its own muslin bag, so if you are the type who likes your soap in a cozy or its own shower bag, they have already taken care of that for you!

Here's a picture of the other sample I got from Indian Moon Soap.  I know the pics aren't great, but I took one picture up against a quarter to let you see how huge this sample is!

See how huge??  And the soap leaves your skin so soft and supple.  Indian Moon Soaps' site has a wonderful selection of lip balms, lotions, soaps, hair care, and other bath accessories.  It's a great site, and they have a very easy checkout.

Finally, a little plug for my new line.

Due to my grip issues, I have decided to givew myself some physical therapy.  I have been making charm necklaces, and focal bead necklaces to help strengthen my hand.  They are adorable and interchangeable, making them so versatile.  It's really too bad it took this injury for me to come up with them, because they're awesome.

I am still making my keychains, too.  Everything has free shipping until I get out of my brace.

I think that's enough for now.  Enjoy your shopping, and remember, buy Handmade!