Finally!

My whole "new look" is FINALLY starting to come together. It still needs a bit of editing, as you can probably tell, from my banner, or if you've looked at my shop recently, but this should suffice for the next couple of weeks.

I FINALLY got my new Sony Vaio Laptop :) It's so brilliant and SO pink! I love it to pieces, despite the fact that I am having a little trouble navigating it. (I'm used to the macs)

I also finally got around to making my second ever batch of cold process soap! I'm not quite sure how it is going to come out, as it obviously still has a few weeks of curing to go, but as of now, it looks alright. It's scented in "pink grapefruit". Again, I went overboard with the essential oil, adding a whole ounce of oil to a one pound batch instead of a half ounce. Yeah...I'm still learning, but I'm having a lot of fun in the process.


Obviously, I'm still experimenting with the whole swirling technique, as well. Honestly, when I first did this batch, the colour came out orange instead of pink, as I didn't anticipate that the grapefruit EO would be yellow. So, when I mixed in the red dye, it turned orange...but it's toned down quite a bit as far, and looking more like a pink grapefruit than a creamsicle!

As you can see, I cut the bars way to early, they were still soft and broke apart as I was cutting them. I can't help it, though! I just get excited about my soap and want to see how my swirling came out! I'm sure they'll be fine. I can't wait to use them! They smell amazing, as you can imagine.
I'm off to bop around on the web, and maybe make up some more bath bombs.

I got tagged!

1) Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.

2. Share five random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.

3. Share the five top places on your "want to see or want to see again" list.

4. Tag a minimum of five random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.

5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment in their blog.

So here it goes, the five random and/or weird facts about myself:

1. CHECK OUT PLAYING WITH SOAP!

2. First fact: I can speak conversational Russian and French
Second fact: My best friend is someone I've never met. (Yet!)
Third fact: I'm on my laptop at least 16 hours a day.
Fourth fact: I can play the piano.
Fifth weird fact: I can french braid my own hair :)

3. I want to see: Europe, Asia, South America, Australia, North America (the parts I haven't seen, yet, obviously.)

4. I've tagged:

The Soap Queen

Paris Chic Boutique

Morgan Street

Spa Therapy Works

Ida's Sketchbook

I'm off to notify everyone right now :)

Toast and Jam

Before I started lotions and soaps, I dabbled in fashion for a while. But admittedly, sewing was never really "my thing". I find fabric stores overwhelming and sewing machines unbearably tedious. Yes, despite my love for lotions, soaps and fragrances, I always wanted to be a "crafty girl"-one who can make all different things. I've always admired people who can do this because not only are they so obviously talented at what they do, but they have the option to be fickle. They can make dolls, bags, clothes, accessories...and trust me: the list goes on!
This brings me to a newly discovered etsian, whom I will be featuring today Toast and Jam. Let me first tell you, if you haven't seen her shop, take a visit, because this gal crafts like it's her job! Her hats are beyond adorable! Here are a few of my select favourites:

Domo-Kun Hat:


Winter Owl Hat:


MTO Animal Ear Hat:


She also makes lovely handbags and plushies!



1) What is your craft?
My craft is sewing and at the moment crocheting!

2) What is/are your favourite materials to use?
I love fleece! I would say by now I could even be considered an expert in fleece, hehe. I also really love furry fabrics, like the ones I use in my monster bags! They have so many fun colors.

3) How did you learn your craft and how long have you been practicing it?
I learned how to sew from my Grandma Sutter when I was a sophomore in high school (I'm graduating college at the moment). She was the driving force behind all my craftiness, and I think of her every time I work.

4) What are your favorite and least favorite parts about your craft?
I would say that my favorite parts about sewing are the fact that I have a short attention span, and when you sew you see your work immediately progressing. This definitely helps keep my interest. Plus, making my own clothing, and seeing my hats on other people is one of the best feelings in the world.
My least favorite part would be the upper back pain from constantly bending over my sewing machine!!

What is your favourite...
1) Dessert?
Tiramisu

2) Month?
November (my birth month)

3) Quote?
"There are some things you want to do, and there are some things you have to do, and thats life."

4) Book?
The outlander by Diana Gabaldon hands down.

Any words of advice to others out there trying to sell their own handmade items?
Go with your insticts, listen to your friends, and always put your all into your craft. That way when people get you down, you can stand behind your work proudly and tell them they are wrong!

Thanks Toast and Jam! Best wishes to you and your shop! xxx.

Aria Images

Life can be shit and life can be wonderful. I mean, that's life. It's a series of extraordinary moments and I think that there are relatively few people that can just stop, think and capture a decent moment. And no, I'm not trying to get all sappy and drift into the "kodak moment" cliche. I'm talking about art. Real art and real moments. Photography.
Some people see the world differently and can show the beauty in things that would normally appear mediocre and dull. They show us to appreciate the places and moments, that would most often go overlooked.
For my featured seller today, I chose to promote Aria Images. Not only do her photographs surpass any and all definitions in terms of "capturing moments", but her photos are beautiful as well as cosmopolitan. Trust me, from this shop, it was HARD to pick favourites:

Ancient Arches:


Cherry Blossom Series:


Arch Phantasy:


This is just a small preview of what you'll find in her shop. Her work ranges from colour, to black and white as well as series prints.

I took the liberty of asking a few questions for a mini interview. Take a peek:


1) What is your craft? Photography.
2) What is/are your favourite materials to use? Photoshop for sure. Its taken digital photography to a whole other level.
3) How did you learn your craft and how long have you been practicing it? I am totally self taught. Some of my earliest memories as a child were of taking photos so I guess for at least 20 years. I started treating it as more than a hobby about a year and a half ago.
4) What are your favourite and least favourite parts about your craft? Something I love about photography is that the more I do the more I seem to "train" my eye. I see more and more shots I would love to get (I really need to start walking around with my camera) and besides that its one of the best ways for me to personally express myself. Its not just something I enjoy. Its this inner hunger to capture that exact moment or angle. To show people what I see. I find it so exciting. I guess my least favorite aspect is that because I am totally self taught and just kind of professionally starting, I do often feel not as good as others I come across. I get frustrated by my own technical limitations. I am hoping study and time will take care of that though.

What is your favourite...
1) Dessert? NY Cheesecake
2) Month? September
3) Quote? You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do. -Eleanor Roosevelt
4) Book? The Woman in White

Thank you for being my first featured seller, Aria Image! Good luck to you and your shop! xxx.

Weekend Featurettes!

I've decided that every weekend starting this weekend I am going to feature two etsians on my blog! One on saturday and one on sunday. I made a thread for it on the etsy forums and loads of people responded, so I guess I have my work cut out for me, huh?

P.S I made my business cards and they look FAB!!

Blogger VS. Typepad

So, I haven't updated in a couple days because I've been experimenting over at typepad. I have to be brutally truthful, I'm somewhat disappointed. I've heard good things about it. After a few days entries, and messing around on this site, I have to say that I am still partial to Blogspot. There isn't too much more that you can do with typepad that you can't do with blogger, except paying fees. And who wants more fees? Let's all be honest.

I have a million things to get done. I just spent hours (literally!) making up labels. New ones! Hooray! Originally, I was going to have a graphic designer do them up for me, but I guess I changed my mind about the whole look of them and everything and decided it would be more convenient at this time to do them on my own. I will be buying a new banner for my etsy shop, though, and for my blog (if I can't figure out how to make one!)
I guess we'll see what happens. But, boy-oh-boy, do I love my new look. It's brilliant, and so much more "me". I know I'm going to have so much more fun with the products/names/packaging and just everything.



The banner is in the works for my shop as of now, and I'll probably post it on my blog, as well. I can't wait to get everything done! But, like I said before, I still have a lot of work to do.
Early tomorrow morning I'm making another batch of cold process soap, this time in "pink grapefruit". My last batch came out great (my first!), and I'm already jonesing for another victory. Ha.
In the meantime...I'm still looking for fragrances worthy of being in my up-and-coming line of homemade soaps. Wish me luck and let me know what you think about the new labels!

My first CP

And it came out so beautifully. I have to admit, I was convinced it didn't come out good at all. When I put it into the molds, it was still a bit thin, like, having not quite reached trace, yet. But, this morning, I woke up to a beautifully crafted, swirled loaf of soap.







It is "Mocha Creme" scented. It still has to cure for a few more weeks, which really stinks, as I'm not one who likes to wait around for stuff. But...perhaps I'll be able to keep myself busy with making more soap! Not much else to say here, I guess, just wanted to show off the pictures.