Bathroom Updates

At this point, we have moved into the bathroom, as I'm sure you can see from the clutter. :)

We can't really afford a new TV for the bathroom, and honestly, isn't it kind of ridiculous to have a TV in the bathroom?  We can certainly hear the TV from the bedroom after showers are over, and I feel like the lantern and goblets are so much nicer looking than a television would be.

I'm also trying these butterflies over on the other side of my sink.  Originally, I though thtere was supposed to be an outlet there, but there's not, so I can't put my makeup mirror or hair stuff over there, leaving a big empty spot to be filled.

Right now, the clutter is mostly in two coppery brass bathroom towers, but I am debating whether or not to get something more enclosed.  I think the clutter is distracting, but I am having a heck of a time figuring out what to put there, otherwise. Putting it all in a drawer doesn't really work (Especially because I have no drawer pulls right now), and I like to have some things easily accessible.

I also still need to figure out what to put on the blank wall.  I have an idea, but I am going to have to run it by the other half to see if he likes it.  We may wait until our trip later this summer, since we can't seem to go anywhere without coming home with art.

Also, the towel racks are up.  As you can see, the one by the butterflies is too low, and needs to be moved, and one got put completely on the wrong wall, but we have to wait until the rest of the drawer pulls come in to get everything fixed. *sigh* 

Well, let me know what you think.  I am back and forth about the butterflies, and what to do with the stuff. Any suggestions are welcome. 

New Bathroom

As you probably are not aware, our master bathroom imploded a few months ago.  The bathtub plumbing had shifted a while ago, completely separating the drain, and rendering that part of the bathroom unusable already.  (In a 10 year old house, no less. Oof).  On top of that, now we were getting cracking and bubbling in the drywall near the floor, and a lovely mold stench began pervading our senses, especially after we took a shower.  A little bit of investigation revealed some leaky areas around the glass shower enclosure and shower seat, and a potential leak in the plumbing of the wall behind the shower head.  To fix things, we were told, would require ripping out the shower, the little wall that had been built to put the shower plumbing into, and also ripping out the built in bubble tub.

Well, we got a few estimates, decided on a contractor, and spent the last 2 months holed up in the guest room.  I wish I could post all of thie in-progress pictures, but the removable hard drive everything was being stored on ate itself, too, so we have very few before pictures.

Instead, I figured I would make it up with a whole bunch of after pictures, as this little bathroom turned into quite the big deal for my husband and me.  We had decided, at the beginning of this venture that, based upon where we live (neighborhood demographics, house size, etc.), we were going to put in a luxury bathroom.  Then, we went to a few family functions, and got some art to go in the bathroom.  The light pulled it all together, and I am very proud of how everything came together.

As of this blog posting, the bathroom is not completely done.  We are waiting on some hardware, haven't put in accessories yet, and are at a bit of a stopping point on figuring out what to do next (Other than wait for the missing pieces).

However, we ARE moving back into our lovely master bedroom, and have begun using at least a large part of the bathroom. And, I can't wait any longer, so here we go:

This is the view of the bathroom from the door.  The large upper cabinet is waiting on some shelves, so it is currently empty.  Eventually, it will probably have a TV in the top, with an art piece above it.

This is the view looking back at the door from the entry to the closet. Not much to say here, other than, we are waiting on the towel racks that will go on those walls.

This is the view, standing in front of the cabinet and looking at the tub.  That is a copper soaking tub.  No fancy bubbles or jets. We never used them, so why bother.  The tub was the big splurge of this entire bathroom.  My husband HAD to have it.  It really looks amazing in that spot.  We also put stone under the tub area, where the rest of the floor is slate.  It makes the tub look like it is in its own oasis, and I love it. 

The piece above the tub on the wall is called "Wicked."  It is a clock by Dale Mathis.  Before you scream about my putting such a lovely piece in a bathroom, please understand that that bathroom is HUGE, and has never fogged up in the three years we have lived here. Aove the tub is a super high powered fan as well, to draw any humidity that way instead of towards the clock.  The swirly piece is a piece by Shahrooz, an acrylic artist. It has lovely metallic accent colors that really offset the other pieces in the room.

This is the view of the cabinetry from behind the tub.  The top was custom made to match the work on the wood in our closet.  It matches almost perfectly.  The sink vessels are half-mounts, so half of the sink is above the counter-top, the other half is below.  It allows for a nice deep vessel without being too high above the counter.

Here is a more detailed picture:

The sink is handmade, enameled copper.  The colors perfectly match the tile accents in the shower.

This is a view of the shower area from in front of the angel picture.  I don't remember who painted that picture.  Sorry.  (update: it's called "heaven in her arms" by Alex Cherry") The shower is where we are waiting on the most hardware.  A few pieces cam missing from the manufacturer, and everyone is frustrated by how long we have been waiting for them.  A close up of the colors of the tile is here:

And finally, a close up of the light in the middle of the room:

I had a real heck of a time getting a good picture of this light.  The band with the zodiac signs on it moves up and down, and I really feel that the light brings the whole room together.

The toilet is in its own separate little room.  I had a rough time getting a good picture. We are waiting on the toilet roll holder, but other than that, this room is finished.

And finally, a picture of my husband hamming it up for the camera, to give you a sense of the size and scope of this project:

For reference: he's 6'3" tall and 220 lbs. In this picture, you can really tell that the cabinet hardware hasn't arrived. 

We have taken to calling this our "Accidentally Steampunk" bathroom.  though it really has our eclectic tastes, with "Wicked" and the light, and all of the copper accents, the room has a bit of a steamy vibe to it. It remains to be seen whether we decidse to builkd on that vibe or not.

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of our new bathroom.  I will be sure to post pictures when the last touches come in.

Getting Back to Me

I realised today that it has been nearly 8 months since my last post.  I realized this as I was putting the finishing touches on a necklace, and planning on what the matching earrings were going to look like.  It wasn't some huge revelation, or anything, but it was something significant to me.

About two years ago, I embarked on a new life journey.  At that time, I made the decision that I wanted to be a teacher.  Not just any teacher, but a middle school special education teacher, one of the more challenging breeds of teacher.  I had a background in working with children, both in daycare and in the school setting as an aide, and I knew that teaching would be something that I would find fulfilling and challenging.

Three years later, I can safely say that being a teacher IS both fulfilling and challenging.  And for a long time, I let it be all-encompassing.  I lived and breathed teaching.  The only time I wasn't focused on being a better teacher or figuring out how to tackle some challenge, I was being "mommy" to my kids.  My life revolved around two things: teaching and trying to be a better teacher, and mothering and trying to "make up" for suddenly being a working mom when my kids had been so used to mommy being at their beck and call..  I got away from all the other little things that I loved in life.

Well, this spring, when my first full year of teaching ended, I realised things needed to be different.  I needed to rediscover the things I love in life.  I needed to get back to the part of me that wasn't "MISS" or "MOMMY".  By doing this, I could not only be a better person, I would be happier, and get a better perspective.

So, I started a garden.  A small one.  Mostly in containers.  Most of the plants have died with the drought, but I have a few that are doing OK.  I grilled some fish with Sage and Rosemary from my garden for lunch this afternoon, actually.

I also got back to my jewelry making.  I had made one little necklace last spring, and it has become rather popular.  After making about 20 of them, I decided to start branching off and making different pieces as well.  Every weekend, I make a few pieces now, just as an escape from obligations, and to help me focus my mind.  Some of my best teaching ideas this year have popped into my brain while I was stringing a necklace or sorting beads for earrings. 

When we went back to school this fall, I noticed something.  My attitude had changed.  Challenges were no longer felt with an agonizing "I suck. I'm the worst teacher ever," and instead with a "OK, I can figure this out and get through it." I came in ready to learn and with a new enthusiasm.  Yes, there will always be bad days, but I have been so much more proactive and positive this year, and I like to think that it is being noticed by and helping my students.  I feel like the more I get back to the "other things", the better I am at working through and dealing with the challenges.

This blog is my next step.  I love writing this blog.  It doesn't matter to me how many people read it, it matters to me that I get the ideas and reviews out there, because, if even one person reads one of my reviews, or tutorials, or thoughts, and it helps them, even in a small way, then I am happy.  And I love writing my reviews.  I love trying new things, and writing the reviews helps me justify all of the little samples littering my shower to myself, if not my husband. 

I still have a lot of challenges.  I'm worried about the wire work.  Last year, I permanently damaged my right hand and wrist, and I'm worried about whether or not I am ever going to be able to properly wrap wire again.  Right now, I'm avoiding it, but I am going to have to face it someday.

I also need to get back to my sewing.  I haven't sewed since we moved to Texas two and a half years ago. I realised the other day how much I miss it.  The challenge will be setting up my sewing room, which is currently just a big dumping ground of junk.

I figure I will blog through my journey.  I'm going to keep writing my reviews and thoughts on samplers, and I'm hoping to have a few tutorials cleaned up and ready to post sooner rather than later.  It's going to be an interesting year, and I hope you, my readers, will enjoy being brought along.

Customer Service No-Nos

When you provide a sample in a sampler, and get a question about it from a  POTENTIAL FUTURE BUYER, especially a question involving ingredients, responding "I don't see what the big deal is. If it is so important and you don't know, just don't use it." will lead to my not only throwing out your sample (as opposed to giving it to someone who CAN use/eat it), but also to my bad-mouthing your business's customer service and warning people away from your site.

Customer service is IMPORTANT, people. If you cannot handle that, get out of retail.

So ends my service announcement of the day. Thank you.

Life's Little Luxuries

I have a confession to make:  I want to be one of those top-shelf, pampered, luxury-loving women of leisure.  Unfortunately, I am VERY uncomfortable every time I try to be. Spas make me nervous and uncomfortable.  It took me 4 months of going with people to get used to pedicures and manicures, and I completely stopped them after I moved and had to find a new place with people who weren't used to me. Luxury packages and "higher level" rooms/suites/etc tend to make me feel gypped, and so on.

This got me thinking about what I consider luxuries.  Life's little gratuitous extra pleasures that make me feel SOOOOO decadent and spoiled. And they're not the presidential suite at the Bellagio....that's just an overpriced room.

No, for me, some of my luxuries are:

• Taking a bath or shower when I don't need one, just want one.  AHHH.....the wonders of hot water cascading down your skin, or that lovely scented water you can just sink into.  How much more decadent can you get?  You are wasting time, wasting water, and hiding from the world in your bathroom. I think this luxury links to my being hooked on handmade soaps and bath products....
• Opening a new something before the other one is used up.  Ahh, the luxury of a new lip gloss when I am sick of the old one that I still have half a tube of.  The wonders of sample soaps, so I can use a fresh scent for a week and set the full-sized bar to the side, the annoyance to my husband of two open shampoos...or sodas...or wines.
• Good food that is bad for me - Whether I have cooked it or not.  Whether I get it in a bakery, a little street corner shop, or a fancy restaurant.  That madeline dipped in whipped cream; that elephant ear cookie; The buttered handmade bread fresh out of the oven; whatever it is, it feels like such a luxury eating it...ESPECIALLY if it is between meals!
• Curling up in a blanket in the middle of a day with a book - Again, this is especially luxurious if you have somehting you "should" be doing.  Not necessarily because you are skirking work, but more like "I really SHOULD finish grading these papers first, THEN I can read," but instead, you cur up and read for an hour then do the papers.  AAAhhhhh.

So, what are your little luxuries??

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!

New Reviews!

Ah, my loyal reader(s?), as you know I have been lax in my posting of reviews.  I have so many excuses, but do you really care? I didn't think so.

What I feel many of you DO care about are the reviews. 

Along with my past two months of the "Ol' Stand By's"  (Heaven and Earth Essentials, Metropolis Soap Co., and Dirty Sanchez to name a few), I have broken into some new, lovely soaps that I think you should all know about.

First is a wonderfully unique soap I got from Paradise Essentials.  Now, I usually try to avoid ovrly indulging in my love of a scent, but this scent was so unique, unexpected, and lovely, I felt I just had to rave.  The scent I am drooling over is "Cucumber Mint."  Yes, you read that right.  Cucumber Mint.  Ok, I admit to some bias, as my favorite commercial scent is Cucumber Melon, however, Cucumber mint has the cool, light, barely there refreshing scent of the cucumber mixed with the bracing snap of the mint. It is wonderful!! This is one fo the reasons I love handmade.  Who else would take a chance on a scent like Cucumber Mint? Warning if you buy it: It lathers beautifully, and leaves your skin silky soft, but the bar is Orange.  The color threw me, but it is easy to overlook when using such a lovely feeling soap.

Another soap I have used and really enjoy is a whipped cream soap by Skin Candy.  I ahve always been a  little bit wary of whipped soaps, but this soap is so creamy and rich.  I love it.  IT has a good consistency, too.  It doesn't feel like you are dealing exclusively with air, making you wonder what you are paying for.  Instead, it has the consistency of rich whipped yogurt. Very decadent feeling as you smooth it onto your skin.

Finally, my last experiment these past few weeks has been with a new foaming salt scrub. This one is from Susie Q's.  The consistency of Susie Q's salt scrub is different than any other scrub I have used. Instead of feeling like a sandy paste, their salt scrub feels almost foamy.  The exfoliation is still there, but it isn;t like rubbing a rough cream onto your skin.  I gi back and forth about how I feela bout that, but for those of you who dislike the rough feeling of most salt scrubs, but still want to get the exfoliating benefits, I recommend you check out Susie Q's foaming scrub. Now, I admit, the picture I swiped is from their sugar scrub cubes, but they are so pretty, can you blame me?

Ok, that's it for the reviews for now, however, beware!!  I am gearing up my lists of sellers to buy from for the holidays, so the reiews SHOULD pick up!!  Enjoy your weekend!

Wow....just wow.

So, my faithful readers, it's been a while, huh?  Sorry about that.  As Fall fell, my kiddos went back to school....and so did I.  Yes, I have embarked upon a new career as a middle school teacher.  It's an exciting time in my life, but, let me tell you, ANYONE who thinks teacher's lives are easy is smoking something.  I have been working 10-12 hour days, in addition to the graduate courses and certification classes that I have been taking in the evenings and on weekends.  I know it will all be worth it to see those lights go on in my student's eyes, but right now, my time is limited, so unfortunately, the blog is suffering.

However, I received something in the mail today that I just HAD to write about.  My box from Sampler Village.  Holy Wow.

Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture, so I had to steal one from the site, but there was so much in the sampler, Traci had to stuff stuff into the shipping box to make it all fit!

I really could tell the effort and thought that Traci and the villagers put into the sampler every month.  This month's theme was Halloween, and there were all kinds of great Halloween themed items, great Halloween packaging, and fun things in every package.

In my opinion, Sampler Village has really stepped up as the premier monthly sampler box.  I get the Luscious sampler every month, and I highly recommend it.  Those samepler have an item from every one of that month's villagers, and every thing I get is always great, both in quality and in presentation.

Revised Sample suggestions.....the LONG version

About 10 months ago, I posted my suggestions on what to do (and NOT do) when submitting samples to sampler boxes, and the value of tossing free samples in with a purchase. Recently, this came up again on places like facebook, so I decided to revise my original list to account for some things that have come up over the past year, and post again. Please indulge my vanity in thinking I  know these things.

 

First, some background.  I buy 2-4 sampler boxes a month. Every month, I try to make at least one purchase from someone who has sent something in a sampler, though it is not always that month's sampler.  I am a huge bath and body person, so there is a definite slant to my purchasing.

 

Sampler packs are the best way for handmade afficionados like me to find you.  In the last year, I have bought from over 20 sellers I found through samplers, some orders were huge (We're talking over $500 huge), some were a single bar of soap or lip balm.  My family is NOT wealthy, and money is tight, but I try to put aside some money every month to make these purchases. Almost ALL of the money I make on etsy ends up going directly out of my bank account to other sellers. I like supporting handmade, and I only buy things that I love. I am also a repeat buyer if you are a great seller.

 

I am also one of those buyers who keeps a list. I have a whole file of business names from companies I have gotten great products, service and/or samples from, what I got that I loved, any other thing special about them, and what type of products they have. I keep this list because I have a surplus of some things, and the list helps me remember sellers I have loved in the past for future purchasing, especially around gift giving holidays and events. I also have a list of people who I will not buy from for various reasons. 

 

As you may know from this blog, I also write reviews of sellers who really impress me. Often, these reviews are based off of a sample I have used and gotten from a sampler.  Whether this leads to sales, I do not know, but any publicity is good. Also, though I may not always buy from you, but at least I know who you are, and can tell someone else about you.

 

So, without further ado, these are my top 10 suggestions to consider when putting together samples:

 

1.  Ingredients are vitally important in anything going onto or into a body. "Flavor oils" is usually not detailed enough as an ingredient.  I am allergic to artificial sweeteners, for example, so I need to know if your items contain them, even the lip balm. Frequently the flavor oils include things like this, though not always, so it would be a good thing to know.
2.  First impressions are KEY. Packaging and presentation are hugely important. If your promotional sample looks a mess, what will your product look like? And why would I send you money for something like this, if you obviously don't care? Along the same lines, make sure your site matches with your samples. There is nothing more disappointing than getting an awesome sample, running to a website, and seeing stuff that is nothing like what you just got in a box.
3.  CLEARLY label your product, what it is, and where it came from. Make it easy for us to find you later. Clearly label where your items come from with a business name and website address, even when including a free sample in with a purchase. I had an experience this morning where I tried to use a wax tart as soap. There was no label anywhere on the product telling me WHAT it was, just what scent it was, so I guessed, and guessed WRONG. You may think it is obvious what you are selling, but it isn't always. From now on, if I can't figure out what it is, it gets trashed.
4.  Whenever possible, include instructions. Not everyone is familiar with sugar scrubs, wickless candles, melting body butter, paraffin hand treatments, that special kind of tea blend you just sent, or whatever. If I can't figure out how to use it, I am not going to.  That is a potential lost sale for you. If you are the one who tells me how to use something I am unfamiliar with, and I love it, I am going to buy from YOU. Instructions  also put you HIGH on the "repeat buyer" list.
5.  The best things to include in samplers are things that need to be purchased relatively regularly. Give us just enough to be addicted (for me it takes about a week). When we run out, we will run to your store and buy. The next best thing to include in samplers is things that make great gifts. When Aunt Sally has her retirement party, I will know who to go for for that uniquely perfect thingamabob.
6.  Food scented home, bath, and body products make a lot of people nervous. Especially chocolate and/or sugary treat products. Also, food SHAPED non-edible products are not always the best thing to send in a sampler.  I have had to stop my kids from eating more than my fair share of wax tarts.
7.  Propaganda of any type is evil. No matter how strongly you feel about something, it is not professional to include it in your packaging.  If I don't agree with you, I will be turned off. If I agree with you, I will still be turned off by your need to preach.
8.  If you send something scented, please wrap it up, at least in a Ziploc bag so the scent doesn't get everywhere. I will get sick of the scent before I use the item, and I may decide to throw it out if I worry the scent will contaminate other things, or is overwhelming in the small box or drawer I have it stored in.
9.  Please give more than a month on coupons, if you are going to include them. I don't always get to the sample right away, and it i discouraging to see that I could have saved money on someting I want to buy because I didn't use it right away.  I can't use everything all at once, so please give me some wiggle room. Also, please pack the coupon separately from the packaging of your item.  If I want to give those earrings to my sister as a stocking stuffer, I don't want her seeing I got them in May with a coupon that expired May 21 on the card they are attached to.
10.  Free samples (especially coordinating ones) tossed in a box with a purchase are awesomeness. They can be given to a friend to show them how great your stuff is, and it always eaves a good taste in the receiver's mouth.

 

I hope that this is helpful.  I LOVE samples and LOVE samplers. Some of my favorite sellers who I buy from all the time I found through samplers.  I love handmade, and want you to be successful at your craft!  Thank you so much to all of the handmade artisans out there, and keep up the good work.

 

Also, readers, any other suggestions I may have missed?

Quick Review - Treasure Gardens

My old soap is finally finished, so I have to again give props to Lana at Unicorns Pride for her awesome Lemon lime soap which lasted me two and a half months of daily shower usage.

So, I broke into my bin of samples from my wonderful samplers, and reached in willy nilly (yes, I still use that term, and yes, that is how I choose my soap).  What I came out with was a lovely wrapped soap that came in my Sampler Village box recently: a FULL SIZED sample of Heavenly Honeysuckle soap from Treasure Gardens.  FULL SIZED!!

This soap gives of such a robust scent, it has scented my whole bathroom like honeysuckle, which I love.  The soap lathers wonderfully in the shower and leaves my skin feeling soft and clean.  the shape of this soap is perfect to fit in my hand, so I find myself not even using my scrubby much.

Another thing I love about this soap is that, though it smells wonderful and strong, it does not leave a strong scent clinging to my skin.  As a teacher, I need to be careful about the scents I wear (if any), and soap is usually the only thing I use as a scent before leaving the house.  This soap leaves jus tthe right amount of scent, as there's just enough that the hubby can smell it when he hugs me, but it does not come off of me in waves.  Perfect. In the past I have felt like I needed to stick with a very clean scent to avoid this, but again, my eyes have been opened to the soapy possibilities.

Treasure Gardens has a great little shop with gorgeous looking soaps and a few adorable shaped soaps that may end up in a Christmas stocking here. I encourage you to check them out.


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On a side note, I think I will do my reviews like this more often.  I felt like I was avoiding full sized samples because they take so long to get through, and I wanted to keep up my reviews, but it was taking a lot of the fun out of the reviewing.  Now, I will just write a review as I open up and use something.  Sound good?  Good.

Reviews of the Month!

As I put off and put off writing my reviews the last few weeks, I started thinking to myself: WHY? Why am I putting off my reviews?  The answer was quite simple and obvious: I just don't use that many new things in a week.  I am a creature of habit, and also a creature of pack ratting. 

I have so many new things going on in my life right now. I am trying to start a new career, the house is under construction, and we are still getting used to living in Houston.  School is over in a few weeks, and I am going back to school for the first time in 10 years on the 24th.  Because so much else in my life is new and exciting (and scary), for many of my every day routines, I am in a "default to what you know works" stage to help me try to find a sense of stability.

So, I am scaling back to one review a month for a while.  This month, there just isn't that much new to review.  I got a lot of exciting things in my samplers this month, but I haven't gotten to many of them yet.  I will just have to tell you what I HAVE used and loved.

The first soap I used was from Wicked Soaps, and it was wonderful. The sample was a good sized hunk that lasted me for more than two weeks.  It lathered up really well, and had a great scent throw.  Though the soap was a fuschia and black blend, there was no color transfer to my scrubby or shower.  I really enjoyed this soap.  Wicked Soaps has all sorts of products on their Etsy Page, so I am sure you can find something you will love there.  There is a Pink Sugar Sampler I have my eye on, and the husband has been given a not-so-subtle hint for Mother's day.

Another soap that I used this month was a new glycerine soap from The Bubble Room.  The soap I used is called "You Have My Heart", and it is this gorgeous iridescent white with a pink heart in the center.  Don't ask me how they did that with soap, but it came out really cool. Again, the soap sample was a good sized chunk, so over a week later, I am still using the same soap.  Many of the Bubble Room's soaps are vibrant fun colors, and my kids are constantly begging to use the samples I get from them from Sampler Village. The Bubble room has a fun and whimsical style, and is great for people who are still a child at heart.

The only other new product I used this month was some tarts I got from a new candle supplier.  The Gingerbread Cupboard sent these absolutely adorable shaped tarts out in both the Little Black Boxes and Sampler Village, and I was SUPER PSYCHED to get their tarts in each.  They have excellent scent throw, and are some of the cleanest molded tarts I have ever seen.  Their shapes are adorable, and it's obvious that a lot of thought and care went into them. 

As you can see, I haven't been using too many new things, so I am going to try to keep updating the blog with other postings, on my many other interests, and on some of my other purrchases and things I use.  Thanks so much, and Hopefully, in June I will have a huge list of wonderful handmade products to review!

The Case for Multiple Samplers

Ok, I admit it.  I am one of those horrible people that contributors to samplers secretly have a serious dislike of.  Yes, it's true, I am a "multiple sampler buyer" (cue Psycho shower music).

For those of you not in the know, I am talking about home made item samplers, like Little Black Boxes or Sampler Village. They are boxes of sample sized (and sometimes full sized) products that have been donated to these samplers as a means of promotion. Sellers send samples to these box sellers in the hopes that, by providing samples to potential customers, this will lead to future purchases of full sized products.

I am all about samplers.  I think they are an awesome idea.  I have discovered sellers who I buy from almost religiously through finding their products in samplers.  I also love that some of the samplers are more geared towards a certain type of buyer, (for example, The Sampler tends to have more card and jewelry samples).  I even like a lot of the themes the sampler sellers have come up with for cohesion of items.

Now, the idea is, a seller buys a sampler box, they use the usually awesome samples in the box, and then they go off and buy more items they liked from the sellers that are in the box. For the sellers, the more people who are exposed to their products, the more likely a sale will result from their donations.

So, because of this, I know sellers are not too thrilled with people who buy multiple boxes of samplers filled with their donated items. Less exposure is never a good thing in advertising and promotion.

However, every month I find myself buying multiple boxes from at least one seller.  Yes, I do feel vaguely guilty about it, but I am going to continue doing it. Why? For a number of reasons.

Multiples of the same sampler do not always contain the same things.  Some sellers send in multiple scents. I may not like one of them.  If I get 2 boxes, and one is a scent I do not care for, but one is, higher probability that I will buy.  Some samplers, you do not get everything in one box, multiples expose me to more sellers.  and sometimes, if it is something relatively small, an extra is a good thing to help me decide to buy.  I also sometimes get a sample of something I think someone I know would love, and there's nothing better than having an extra sample to pass along to someone who may eventually buy.

Since money is tight here, I have a certain amount of money put aside every month for purchases of items from samplers.  Yes, I do get a backlog eventually of all of the great things I want, but I love having lots of options. I also love discovering new items to review and new sellers to buy from.

So, I encourage you to buy from the sellers in the boxes when you buy the samplers. Keep this great idea alive, and support handmade. And if you buy multiple boxes, be sure you are doing so to aid future purchases, not so you can just have more soap in the house. The actual producer of that sample sent it to the sampler for free.  Let them see some return on your use of their product.

Long Over Due

Hello my faithful readers. I'm sorry to tell you that this past month, I have really not done a lot of reviewing.  I have a few VERY LOVELY items coming up, probably on Monday, but right now, I am in a crazy state of mind.

As you may or may not be aware, I am heading back to work. As I plan to be a teacher, this is the big time for interviews, job fairs, and signing up for those summer classes you have to take for the next steps towards certification.  We are also int he middle of having some work done on our house, and painting 4 rooms.  With being so busy, I have been using what little free time I have as a little bit more time for myself, and I have been spending any extra afternoon time with my kiddos. 

I promise, the reviews and tutorials will get up and running on a regular basis again VERY soon. I just ordered this month's samplers, and a few etsy and eBay treats for myself.  I'm sure I will want to share with you!

Thank you so much for your support and for following.

What the....

Hello my wonderful readers!! 

You may have noticed that I haven't been around for a while.  Well, I had a no reviews week, then the kids were on spring break and we went to Las Vegas.  Since I went away, I didn't use any new items, so instead I will tell you about my handmade travel toiletries.

When I travel, I have a bunch of handmade samples that I travel with that I know I love.  Too often, I have broken out or had issues with hotel toiletries, so I let the husband use them and I bring my own.

The first thing I travel with is shine on shampoo and daily conditioner from Heaven and Earth Essentials. (scent this trip: citrus splash)  If I am traveling for a week, I also bring the damage remedy conditioner.  I like for them all to be the same scent, and HAEE has a BUNCH of different scents. As another bonus, the shampoo is a paste, so you don't need to fit it into the little quart ziploc bag the airlines are in love with.

I have gone a number of ways with soap.  I usually just grab a small sample of a soap that I know I love.  the little samples are the best, because they last about a week (the small slivers are great for a weekend), so you don't have to worry about bringing home the soap. This trip, it was a small soap sample from Metropolis Soap Company, whose soap I really love. Even the Dh has been brought over to the "dark side" by their Black Horror Soap.

For lotion, I prefer lotion that is in a pot.  though it can get under my nails, I have had a lot less issues with bag explosion with pot lotions.  This trip, it was Main Element Love's Rise and shine body and hand lotion. The scent worked really well with my shampoo and conditioner, and the little lotion pot fit well in my travel purse.

Perfume is always in the form of a little sample or two (depending on trip plans).  I have HUNDREDS of samples, from designer to handmade.  This trip, I took along two samples, one was August Sultry Sumer by Lemon Lollipop for day wear (Actually, I think the official scent is through their other company "four seasons fragrance," but the sample was from Lemon Lollipop), and the other was Dark Rapture by the Scent Diva (now known as the Soap Box) for evening wear. On a random aside, Dark Rapture perfume was the first thing I ever bought from an etsy seller after getting a sample in a sampler box.

My cosmetics are commercial, because I like the way I can get almost everything into a small compact.  Toothpaste is Aquafresh, and my sunblock is also commercial and a special one for super sensitive skin. Toss in a few Shout Wipes and my prescription meds, and that pretty much makes up my travel toiletries.

This trip was also a little bit special in the packing, because I knew we were staying in our timeshare. There is a HUGE soaking tub in the main bathroom, so I brought a few bath bombs from Sheba's Secrets. I let my daughter take a "fizzy bath" for the first time last month, and she is HOOKED! Both she and I had a few "fizzy baths" that week.

Also, again because we knew we would be in the timeshare, I brounght a silicone trivet, a little matchbook and a travel candle by Mrs Tattooed Geek. (Black Orchid).  These candles are great for getting the "hotel" smell out, and the "home" smell into your room.  The candle is in a tin, so there are no worries about wax spillage, and they last a LONG time.  Like I said, I brought ONE candle for the entire week.

So, sorry there are no reviews to write right now, but they will be back after next week! Have a great weekend!

New Feature!

You may have noticed, but I have put links to the four samplers I have ordered on the bottom right side of this blog.  No more hunting for good samplers.  If I find more good sampler sellers, I will be sure to include them.

This week is going to be light on reviews, as I am finishing using some BIG samples, and between the hubby getting a job offer and me going on interviews, we didn't really get a chance to use many new things this week.  I've also been noticing that I have extra samples from sellers that I have already reviewed.  Though it is really hard for me, since I already KNOW that they are great, I have been trying to passs them over for new samples I have never used. My drawers are getting full, and I have had a few bad experiences lately, so I think I am going to allow myself to re-use some of these sellers' samples every once in a while. I also may start featuring a single seller every once in a while, especially if I have had a universally good experience with them.

I'll keep checking etsy and ebay and looking for new people to tell you about too!

I think I will also keep up with the pattern free sewing tutorials.  I am in the process of rearranging my sewing room (again), to get everythig to fit, but I will try to make time to get s few things made and a few tutorials written up.  let me know if there's anything you would really like to see.

Have a great weekend!

This Week's Reviews 3/2/10

Woo!  I had a bit of a panic this morning!  Turns out my husband, trying to be neat and tidy, threw out all of my assorted wrappers and business cards from this week's samples.  Fortunately, I found and rescued them, and, after a bit of the world's most stupid sounding argument....

("you threw away my wrappers!" "Of course I did! They're empty and cluttering up the counter!" "I need them for my blog, dangit!" "Then why were they in a pile in the bathoom?" "who cares where they were?  I needed them! Stop throwing out my important stuff!" "How am I supposed to know that empty wrappers sitting in a pile on the counter in the bathroom are important?"......etc)

...and a quick trip to Michael's for an "important blog wrappers" basket (and some candlemaking supplies...but that's a different story for another blog), I got everything together and recorded in my special "good samples" book, and ready for this week's blog.  Don't you feel special now that you have had your own glimpse into my private, everyday life? Yeah, didn't think so.

This week's reviews are a bit different.  Along with this week being my "the Samplers are coming!" week, which always leads to lots of trying out of stuff, I also bought a bunch of new wickless candles from sellers on eBay this week. Of course, I had to try out one of EVERYTHING, so I have a LOT of candle sellers to review.  Way more than usual.  I am also going to review a new tea supplier whose tea I finally tried out this week.  Add to that, my normal weekly soap review and a lotion review, and we are talking a lot of sellers to review this week!!

So, let's get to it!

This week's soap was "Think Pink" by A Slice of Delight. This soap is an awesome looking and smelling layered soap of glycerine and oil based soaps.  It really looks like a piece of candy or jewelry! The colors are very vibrant and rich. I love it.

Now, I am one of those people whose skin always gets a little tight and dry from using glycerine soap, but it seems a lot less due to the layering of this soap with the oil based soap added into the layers. I also love how HUGE the sample I got in my Sampler from Sampler Village is. It's got to be about a 2oz sample! I feel like I am using a full sized bar of soap, not just a little sample!  Very cool. 

All of A Slice of Delight's soaps are so artistic and fun to look at, even though they are currently out of stock of the "Think Pink", I'm sure you'll find a soap to love. Also from now through Friday, 3/5/10 at midnight, if you mention "Marbled Nails" in your checkout, you will get a $.50 refund off of one regularly priced bar of soap!  A Slice of Delight's prices are already great, but, heck, anything helps, right! Thank you so much to A Slice of Delight for that generous offer!!

Last month in my samplers from Sampler Village, and again this week in my Little Black Box, I got some AWESOME looking samples from a company called Farm Hussy.  Well, their complete irreverence cracked me up, so I hd to try some of their samples.  I ended up trying their "Udderly Tickled Hand and Body Lotion" in "Love is a Heart Fertilizer" scent.  The husband has also been using their "cock-a-doodle-Don't Lip Balm" and he loves it.  Farm Hussy has all kinds of products and scents on their site, which is just adorable and makes me chuckle.



The Udderly Tickled lotion goes on smooth and is just scented enough to smell nice, but not so much that you end up being the only thing people can smell in an elevator. It leave skin feeling refreshed and moisturized, but not oily, which is VERY important to me.  I have naturally very oily skin, so I am not one of those people whose skin eventually absorbs the oils from most lotions, I just glisten and repel water until my next shower.

The reason the husband is using the Lip Balm is because it contains artificial sweeteners.  He loves it and has already asked me to buy him more after this tube runs out. I told him I will, but I am getting it made ithout the sweeteners in it. Farm Hussy was VERY quick, polite, and professional about replying to my inquiries regarding whether or not their flavor oils contained artificial sweeteners. As they add their own sweetener, Farm Hussy CAN make many of their lip balms without sweeteners, which is awesome and good to know.

This week, I have been fighting some sort of upper resp infection. In fact, I was sick for the entire month of February with something or another. Hmm...Well, at least it led to my drinking even more tea than usual.  THis is a good thing, since I went a little crazy over the holidays, and bought more tea that anyone could reasonably drink in a year....in my defense, a lot of it came free with the teapots....uh.....teaPOT! teaPOT!  Ok, teapots.  I bought myself 2 teapots for Christmas (one handmade and one BIG one from Pfalzgraff), my mother bought me a great glass teapot for blooming teas, my sister got me a special single serving brewing tea mug, and my son got me a froggie teapot.  I have a lot of teapots now.

One of the sellers whose tea I finally got around to trying the week is Bhak Tea. MAN, did I miss out by not trying them sooner!!  Their teas are fabulous.  I am especially hooked on their Vanilla Sunset Rooibos tea.  VERY yum.  I got myself one of their EXTREMELY reasonably priced tea samplers which came with a very cute bamboo tea strainer.  Working with them was very easy, and they really went out of their way to send me good quality tea on time for the holiday.

Like I mentioned earlier, this has been the week of candles. I got a bunch of new candles, both wickless and traditional to try out this week, and I went a little crazy on eBay after I found some sellers that were on eBay along with Etsy.  I am going to touch on all of them, so get ready.

The first seller is Delightful Scents. I had heard of Delightful scents before, but for some reason I had never bought from them or tried them out.  Then I got a little tart sample in my sampler from Sampler Village.  Well, let me tell you, this little tiny tart perfumed my ENTIRE house!  I was super impressed. The tarts I got from Delightful scents were of top excellent quality, and held their scent for a long time.  Delightful scents also carries traditional candles, incense, perfumes, tart burners and so much more.  They are really worth checking out, and are on my list of people to buy from as soon as my husband OKs any candles coming into my house again.....

Another wickless candle sample I got from Sampler Village was from Primitive Kountry.  Their "melties" are a good large size, and the scent lasted through three tea lights' worth of burn time.  Again, they have a lot of other products on their website.

The first seller I bought wickless candles from on eBay is RoseGirls Candles.  They have these lovely Chunk Tarts.  They are just hunks of highly scented wax that you can put on your tart burner. RoseGirls Candles has their own website where their prces are already really good and reasonable. Their tarts burn clean and put off an awesome sent.  HOWEVER, I admit, I found them on eBay. The price I paid on eBay was slightly better than their website, and I had to buy a whole flat rate box of tarts, but they are wonderful, and I am glad that I did.

Another seller who has plenty of products off of eBay, but who I found there, again, is Pamela's Palm Tarts and More. Pamela has some really nice tarts, and ships super fast.  She has hundreds of scents to choose from, and you can choose how many tarts you buy.  Although I put in a link to her Etsy shop, most of Pamela's selling right now seems to be on eBay (user name: "spfield01").  Her tarts are of good quality and are an excellent price. She also has glycerine soaps and tart burners in her store.

Amazingly, I also managed to buy some tarts from Pamela's SISTER, Pat.  Pat's eBay ID is "youareold", and I can't help but think that she is the younger of the sisters.  Pat also has some great, good quality wickless candles and tart burners in her eBay shop, and she ships just as fast as her sister.  I was seriously shocked at how quickly I got my huge orders in the mail from those two women..  The two sisters are in completely different parts of the country, but their commitment to quality and customer service is similar....as is their packaging. :)  Both women were really easy and fun to work with, and I recommend their products.

In all, it has been a great week for samples and purchases.  I hope you guys go check out these sellers, as I like all of their products, and I want them to be successful, if for no other reason thn the selfish one of wanting them to be there when I want to buy from them.  One of my favorite bath and body sellers and a company that I reviewed early on in my reviews, Capella's Garden has closed its doors for good, and I am bummed.  Yes, there are other great sellers I can buy from, and will, but it is always sad when a seller decides that they are done.  So, BUY from these sellers if you can, and keep them in business.  It will do us all a favor. You'll get some great products, they'll be able to make money and stay in business, and I will have sellers I know I can count on to buy from again.  WIN-WIN-WIN.

ETA: I got an email from Pamela and she informs me that she and Pat are IDENTICAL TWINS, and Pamela is 3 minutes older. Extra cool, as I have a weakness for twins, and especially identical twins, having married one, myself. :) Even cooler that they are both doing such similar things with the tarts.

How to Re-Fit old Jeans by Inserting a Patchwork Panel

This is an old tutorial I wrote almost a year ago as a guest on another blog (under username coquiainjelfire).  I am reposting it on my blog here in an attempt to inspire myelf to write and post more tutorials on this blog.
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We all have them. Those jeans that we USED TO be able to wear. Those jeans we WISH we could still wear. I admit I am guilty of keeping a bunch of jeans I wore in college. Ten years and two kids later, and there is very little chance that I will ever be able to wear them again, even if they were, by some odd chance, to come back in style again.

Since I have serious problems getting rid of perfectly good clothes, there is a simple solution: make the jeans fit by adding a side panel that provides a little more room. Let's start with the jeans we are going to refit.

These jeans are pretty great, with the exception, of course, that they are about 2 sizes too small. On the plus side though, they are in great condition, they have the right length inseam for me, they have a button fly (which I love), and they are boot cut, so I won't have to add any additional width at the bottom to account for tapered jeans. They're also FREE, having been in my attic since I got pregnant with my 6 year old.  If you don't have those jeans you wish you could still get into, you can also hit up any Goodwill or second hand shop and pick up a pair of jeans for very little money.  If you want your jeans to be paneled, the best would be to get a pair about 2-3 sizes too small. 

The first thing to do is to rip out the outseams with a seam ripper. I do this exactly the way your sewing instructor told you NOT to rip out seams. I put the seam ripper between the two sides of denim and cut the threads. Since the jeans have been sewn together with a chain stitch, you should be able to get enough play to just pull and rip without ripping a hole in the denim....and heck, it's quicker.

Cut all of the stitching on both sides from the beginning of the waistband to the hem. At the hem, tear out the stitches a few inches to either side of the seam and unroll the hem around the outseam.

Once your seams are ripped out, remove the stitches and left over thread pieces. Do NOT press the jeans after doing this. At the waistband, cut the waistband straight up from the seam.

At this point, measure the outseam of the pants INCLUDING the extra fabric from the unrolled hem, but NOT including the waistband. This will be measurement A.

Additionally, measure the width of the waistband.

Then, try on the pants. Yes, post rip. Now you can get them on. The way I like to do this is by running a belt through the belt loops and tightening it so it hits at my waist.

Straighten out the jeans so the seams are in the right place and measure how much space there is between the outseams. Measure in a few different places along your hips, thighs, and waist, and be sure to measure on both sides. One measurement will be the largest. Use that one to give you an idea of how wide your side panels will have to be, as you can see in my picture here.

I need about 4" at the lower hip. For the panel I need to make, I will add 1" for seams and an additional 1" for comfort, for a total of 6" of width. This will be measurement B.

Note: this is a good time, if you want to, to add any appliques, embroideries, or other embellishments to your jeans.

Now, you know how large the side panels of your pants will need to be. (A long, by B wide). The easiest way to do this is to cut a single piece of fabric to that measurement. I, however, tend to prefer to make a patchwork panel for the sides of my jeans, so that is what I will be showing.

I start off by laying out the patches for my pants to get a good idea of how they will look. I then sew the patches together. Since the patches are cotton, and cotton is lighter weight than denim, I like to also add a lining piece of fabric for the inside of the jeans. This adds weight and also increases the durability of the panels.

For the waistband, I take a piece of fabric the width of the panels and twice the length of the waistband plus 1" for seams. I fold the fabric lengthwise and place the raw edges lined up with the top of the panel going into the side of the pants. If you are using a lining piece, line this piece up also, matching the wrong side of the lining to the wrong side of the panel with the waistband piece on the outside, sandwiching the panel piece. Additionally, I like to have a small piece of heavy duty elastic to add to the inside of the waistband. This helps pull in the waist from the comfort inches I added into the pants earlier.

I cut a piece of elastic 1" smaller than the actual measurement I needed from the pants when I measured them (for me this is 3"). If you prefer not to have elastic in your waistband, make the waistband the actual width you needed added to your jeans plus 1" for seams, and taper out from the waistband measurement along the sides of the panels until you get to the full width of the panels at approximately 3-4" below the waist. I prefer the elastic because it allows for "fat days" and slight weight fluctuations.

Line up the elastic with the center of the waistband, pin right sides together, and sew your side panel onto your jeans. The easiest way to do this is to have the jeans on top going through the sewing machine, and sewing right along the old seam line. The jeans should still have a slight fold where the old seam was. Just slowly follow along in this. No worries about the different coloration from the dyeing of the denim showing,and the jeans will automatically press to the side after stitching so they lie flat.You will need to be careful when sewing around the rivet. Just go slowly and make sure you don't try to actually sew it. It should be off to the side, but in some jeans it is close.

Once you reach the hem, you may have some fabric left--cut that off straight across. Then sew on the other side of the panel, again with the jeans on top. Stop right before you hit the waistband on the way up, pull the elastic through the casing, and sew everything together. It should look like this when you are done:

Repeat with the other side.

Once the side panels are all sewn in, I like to finish the seams. This will keep them from unraveling. I have a serger so I just serge the edges of the seams, just as they were before I ripped out the side seams of the jeans. If you don't have a serger, you can zig-zag along the raw edge, or you can use an over cast stitch if your machine has one.

For the hem, re-roll the jeans back to how they were originally rolled. The panel will start to roll for you. Just follow that roll all the way across, top stitch following the old hem seam, and you are done.

To troubleshoot length: If your jeans are NOT the correct inseam length, there are a few ways to work through this. If the pants are too short, measure how much additional length you need. you can either cut off the hem, and sew a length of fabric onto the bottom for this extra length as an easy fix, or you can use this more complicated method: After opening the outseam, but before measuring for the needed length of the panel, cut the measurement of the additional length you need above the hem plus one inch off the hem off the jeans. For example, if you need 3 extra inches, cut your jeans off 4" above the factory hem.

With the jeans open, sew a strip of fabric that is the extra length you need plus 1" for seams onto the bottom. Then sew on the hem of the jeans. Finish the jeans as above.

Try on your new jeans and give yourself a pat on the back.

Two additional trouble shooting tips:

1. If your jeans are tapered at the ankle, you can counter that by tapering the bottom of your side panel so the bottom of your jeans is nice and straight...and along those same lines, if you like flares, just flare the panel as much as you want. Above all, feel free to experiment!

2. If you are getting too much fabric at the hip, where your legs start, you can taper your panel slightly along the "front seam" of the panel from about 1/2 way down the thigh upwards to the hip, and even through the waist to have less fabric. (By slightly I mean MAYBE a total of 1/2 to 1 inch TOTAL by the top of the taper.)  A lot of jeans tend to be snugger in the hips and rear end than other pants, so the extra fabric may not give yout he look you prefer.  This is an easy fix that you can decide whether or not you want by trying on the jeans before finishing the edges and hemming.  I have jeans that I have both ways, depending on how the jeans were sut in the first place.

Another great thing about these jeans: If you get tired of the way they look, or if you lose or gain weight so they no longer fit again, you can just rip out the panels and start all over again! Good luck and Enjoy your new wardrobe!

Sellers of the Week (eBay Edition) - 2/27/10

I thought I would talk about a few eBay buyers I have bought from, since this was an eBay-focused week for me.  A lot of handmade items I bought and used this week came from eBay sellers.

I like checking on eBay for supplies, larger orders, resale, AND handmade. A lot of sellers are on both Etsy and eBay, and eBay is a great place to find handmade seller's closeouts.  When you are on a tight budget, eBay is a great place to check. A number of sellers I have highlighted here have eBay shops also, since eBay gets such a huge exposure.

Anyway, Three eBay sellers I have used and recommend:

1. Franks11 - this seller is my go-to for cotton quilt fabrics.  They have awesome customer service, and really listen to you.  Yes, they sell in bulk, but their quilt fabric is of the highest quality, and is shipped super fast.  Franks11 has actually CALLED ME at times when they have gotten extra special shipments in at super low prices to let me know about them.  I highly recommend them for bulk fabric.

2. Lotus in the Moonlight - This is a wonderful store for resort and casual flowy clothes.  Annie, the owner/designer is in Bali and uses the beautiful fabric she finds there to make gorgeous clothing.  Yes, she has gone pretty streamlined at this point, but everythign is still her design. The shipping is fabulously quick, adn if you buy a few items, she will combine.  The only negative is, a lot of her stuff is dry clean only, as my husband discovered when he washed everything for me one day.  I love the designs, and if you are into the flowy look, you should really check them out.

3. Parawire - parawire is a great resource for wire. I get a lot of my silvered copper wire from parawire, because their wire is such great quality. Parawire has their own site where you can get their wire in just about any color or length that you want. parawire's eBay store is their "closeout" store where wire that has not quite lived up to their exacting standards, closeouts, spool ends, etc. end up for HUGE discounts.  Their shipping is quick, and they are very reliable.  You need to keep checking this site, because when their items show up, they go fast, and there is not always much in the eBay store.

And those are my three sellers of the week!

This Week's Review(s) 2/20

Well, it's been a light week for reviews.  I have a LOT of samples from a lot of different sellers, but they all seem to be soap samples. I only use about one sample of soap per week, so I am slowing down on the reviews.  I have also been burning the same candle all week, since it was a nice big jar candle.  Since tonight's bath was using a bath bomb from a company I have already reviewed, that means I don't have a lot of reviews for you this week.

This week's soap was from Delta Moon Soapworks, in a scent called "Rainforrest" Other than the psychotic little English teacher in my head cringing at the misspelling of "Rainforest", I must admit that I can see why this soap is one of their best sellers.  The scent on this soap is very mild, just barely covering up the scent of "soap" when you wash, which is great if you don't want an overwhelming scent on your soap, or if you want to put on perfume after your shower.  So far, the soap sample has been holding up very well, and lathering nicely. I feel nice and squeaky clean after washing without feeling dried out, which I love.  I have a couple of other samples of soap from Delta Moon Soapworks, and they all seem very nice and of good quality.

As I mentioned earlier, I have been burning the same jar candle all week.  Though I have spoken about them before, I will give a shout out to Unicorn's Pride for their wonderful smelling candles.  I believe the last time I brought them up, I was talking about their awesome soaps.  Unicorn's Pride is run by a woman who I met over the internet a few years ago. She is very skilled in so many areas, and has turned her abilities into a great business.  Lana, the woman behind Unicorn's Pride, makes lovely soaps, lotions, shampoos, and body sprays along with her jar candles. She also hand crochets scrubbies and washcloths to use with her products, making it a real one stop shopping experience when you go to her shop.  If you need a hat or scarf, hers are very well made, too, and a natural extension from her other crocheted products.  I know Lana is all about happy customers, and she is one of my go-to sellers.

Since I have been sick this week, I have been all about the tea.  I had bought a bundle of teas from Blue Raven Tea over the holidays, and I have been drinking their Autumn Harvest Rooibos loose tea a lot. Autumn Harvest, Icewine, and TeaMan's Christmas Blend and Apricot black teas have been my saviors all week. Blue Raven Tea has great customer service and super high quality tea.  I have a bunch of different flavors of loose tea from Blue Raven Tea. My favorite is Seven Treasures Black blend...unfortuantely I love it so much I am out this week, adn it is out of stock, so I am checking back. Don't buy it all on me, readers!  (OK, if you beat me to it again, I'll live...I'll just pout a lot)  A lot of their flavored black teas, regular black teas, and destination blends seem so awesome, I am excited to try a bunch of them!  Blue Raven Tea is constantly coming up with awesome sounding (and tasting) blends, and they just keep me coming back for more. 

Well, that's about all for the reviews this week, but March samplers are coming out soon, so I shoud have a bunch more to talk about soon!  yay!