2 Virgos Designs

Focus on Artfire

2010-10-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

After much consideration and comparing, I have switched my main focus to Artfire. Every way Etsy drops the ball, Artfire picks it up and does it right! I've made one sale already and know more will follow. Artfire's latest app is the new Check In feature, where the seller can mark that they have been in their studio that day. This will help assure buyers that the seller is active and on hand to help them with their orders. This will cut down on buyers wasting their time on abandoned shops. It is a great feature!

Pimping Artfire

2010-09-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

After the latest devastation caused by Etsy Admin, namely the huge privacy breach of the past week, I have opted in on Artfire's Pro upgrade for $5.95 for life and even split my shop so I have 2 shops there now. I have never put much effort or work into Artfire and have never made a sale. I believe if I put the same amount of work into Artfire as I have Etsy that I will make sales. I really want Artfire to work out. It is painfully apparent that ETsy does not care if their sellers make sales, Etsy make its money from listing and renewing fees. Artfire on the other hand goes out of its way to help its sellers do what they are there to do, namely, SELL! I will keep you all updated on this experiment of mine.

The Etsy Image

2010-07-04T15:13:00.000-07:00

Resellers and mistagging have gotten so bad on Etsy I am loathe to refer anyone to Etsy except to my shop with ample warning that the general site is now full of resellers and one practically has to have a degree to tell if their wanted item is truly handmade. Etsy is becoming an embarassment to me. I would hate it if someone I referred to Etsy got took by a reseller, buying mass produced crap that is overinflated in value when they thought they were buying a premium handmade goodie. And search on Etsy is deplorable, full of mistagged items. Etsy is definitely going down. And it had such promise. How disappointing.

May Sales Recordbreaker!

2010-06-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

After no sales at all in February and March, and thinking I might just have to let my items expire and close up shop, May was a recordbreaker for me. Home sales popped, direct sales from a group forum I belong to, and Etsy sales! Woo hoo! Just goes to show you need to cover all venues and there is no pattern to sales really.

Primo's Pawtourage Featured!

2010-05-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

We've been featured, check it out! Thank you Kathleen!

Got a small business grant!

2010-04-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

Like many on Etsy my sales took a nosedive for a while, I had not made a sale since January then this month I have made 3 sales by the grace of god. A week ago I took a real hard look at my shop in my efforts to improve upon it and decided I just did not offer enough variety in scent choices for my soap. I screwed up my courage and composed an application for a small business grant from my counselor. I was not sure I had a chance in heck but I tried anyway and I found out today that I got it! Just goes to show that even when things look grim, have a positive outlook and aim for new goals, you just might succeed! I have been truly blessed and will be in soaping heaven soon! I've asked for supplies to branch out and offer 4 new scent lines in keeping with the Spring season: violet, magnolia, sands of morrocco and masculine musk, from Wholesale Supplies Plus, my main supplier, 2 scents for women and 2 for men. I am so excited! I love fragrance!

Forum Sales Fairy Strikes again

2010-04-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

I've had a bad sales slump....no DEAD in the water since January, then 2 weeks ago I filled a custom order for an entire batch of Primo's Power Wash Dog Soap with Emu OIl and the next week a home sale popped up! Last night I was chatting in the Etsy forums passing the time. I love the forums there, I learn so much and have made some good friends too and it is entertaining. Then boom, one of the forum chatters bought a bunch of soap from me out of the blue! Talk about perking me up! Just goes to show you never know when a sale will happen, it can occur jsut from something that you say in passing. So many vent their frustrations so angrily in the forums you just never know who is reading and what kind of impression you are making matters. I feel real blessed that someone was impressed enough with my Medieval Fantasies soap line to buy from me. A very nice way to end the night indeed!

Etsy Down Again

2010-03-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

10:51 am CST odd almsot the same time as yesterday! It's not my pc as I have no problem accessing other websites jsut Etsy.

Etsy is DOWN

2010-03-27T08:46:00.001-07:00

at 10:43am Saturday Etsy is completely down, hope it doesn't lat long even though my sales are non-existent. Looking at last year I made no sales in March either then.

SCRAM Etsy Resellers!

2010-03-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo! Etsy has initiated SCRAM, "Systems for Catching Resellers and Abusers of the Marketplace." SCRAM is a clever bot that uses algorithims and heuristics to pinpoint resellers and abusers like mistaggers on the Etsy marketplace. We also now have the Flag This Shop button so we can flag an entire shop for violations, this will help Etsy get rid of these troublesome abusers of our marketplace. I am glad Etsy has FINALLY started taking this serious but have concerns that the problem is so deep rooted now that it may be very difficult to actually stem this problem. One major problem is mistagging and this needs addressed for any real inroads to be made. I'm actually in favor of getting rid of tags all together. What do you thnk?

Gift Bag Listed On Primo's Pawtourage

2010-03-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

I just listed yesterday the large size Maltese doggie gift bag on my Primo's Pawtourage Etsy shop! Check it out!

Shout Out to Etsy- Thanks!

2010-03-03T18:21:00.000-08:00

Found out yesterday via Twitter and another team member (thanks Monique) who saw it first, we got our grant from Etsy! It helps in a big way to pay for our first advertisement in Maltese Monthly print magazine. I had thought we did not get it since the 1st came and went, we found out on the 2nd. I had thought I messed up the grant application by not selling my team as good as I should have. Apparently I did it just right! Thank you Etsy for having faith in us and showing support! And thank you Morgan for all your help in this and in setting up our team. Morgan is Teams Coordinator for Etsy and she rocks too! Woo hoo!

Artisan Interview - Megan - Rue Design

2010-03-03T08:13:00.000-08:00

This is 5th in a series of artisan interviews of the members of Primo's Pawtourage. Meet Megan of Rue Design on Etsy. Rue Design is also a member of Handmade Louisiana.

Do you work full time crafting or have an outside job too? How do you balance your time between them? How did you get started crafting?

I work full-time all the time; lol.Yes, I work full-time as a Web Designer at Louisiana State University and manage to sneak in some time to craft art with my hands. I have always made things. I can remember at the ripe old age of 4 positioning my sister's Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls and drawing a portrait of them with my box of crayons.
What inspires you in crafting?

Whether it's my family, the way the clouds roll by, or the smell of chocolate, I believe that inspiration surrounds me all the time and seeps into my subconscious and later reveals itself in the final product.
What is something you have learned in your business that you would like to share with us?

Patience and persistence are two definite traits that I'm learning to foster. Also, believing in yourself and having a support system when you're feeling down is invaluable to your business.
Megan, you are currently involved with creating handpainted dog place mats for Primo’s Pawtourage doggie gift bags. Can you tell us a little about the process making them?

Each place mat is created individually with a collage of elements including decorative papers, acrylic paints, markers and glue. I begin with a blank canvas literally. It's the same heavy duty canvas I use to hand paint custom floor cloths/rugs. I then begin applying the decorative art papers to create a background. Next the borders and graphics are hand painted. Finally I paint the text on the graphics and highlight the edges with metallic markers, seal with water-based floor sealer, glue edges, and mat is signed to create a finished product. Each place mat is unique and no two are identical.
Do you share your home with dogs or other pets, if so, what kind and tell us about them.

Of course I do. I have always loved animals and have filled my home and life with them. We have two dogs and two cats and one rogue jungle kitty that visits us on occasion. The dogs are Tyrone, my 12 year old chocolate Doberman baby, and Velma, a Golden Retriever mix found roaming my grandmother's yard. Our cats that we see on a regular basis are Katie, 12 year old fluffy gray bunny missing a leg and tail due to car accident when she was a kitten, and Rainy, another rescue we adopted. Finally, my other baby cat is LuLu. He disappeared a couple of years ago, but we have seen him a couple of times at the edge of our yard. I have a suspicion that he lives at many neighbor's homes; whoever has the best food.
Where would you like to be in 5 years with your crafting business?

We all have dreams and I would love to work full time creating with my hands from my home. Also, everyone in my family has their own business; it's in our blood.
Tell us a little about you…are you married, favorite things to do when you are not working?

I am married to the most amazing man; Trey. This April we will have been together for 10 years; what a long 10 years; just kidding. We have 2 precious little rug rats. Aiden is 4 and he knows all his letters and words. Taylor is 11 months old and she can break glass with the shrill of her squeals. When I'm not working, creating art, being a wife, being a mother; hmmm... I don't remember having free time. Actually pre-babies, I used to teach middle-eastern dance (belly dance).
One of Primo’s Pawtourage projects is a donated bag to the American Maltese Association Rescue Raffle at their National Specialty in May in Atlanta. Have you done other charity work? Would you like Primo’s Pawtourage to contribute to other dog breed rescue efforts?

My husband worked for many veterinarians throughout college. Therefore, we have always rescued animals together. Our first date was at the zoo! We have volunteered at Cat Haven; a local organization for the rescue of homeless and ferrel cats. I would really like for Primo's Pawtourage to expand to many other breeds; preferably Doberman Pinscher rescues. They are truly a misunderstood breed and are loyal beyond words.

Megan, thank you for allowing me to interview you and thank you for being a part of Primo's Pawtourage! Best wishes and many success to you!

Artisan Interview - Stacey Lange - Inkwear

2010-02-28T11:56:00.000-08:00

This is the 4th in our series of artisan interviews of the members of Primo's Pawtourage Etsy Team! Let's take a peek into the world of Stacey Lange, Inkwear.

I understand this is a family business. How did you all get started crafting together? My stepdaughter, Natalie who is 13, wants to be a fashion designer when she gets older. She wanted to design some shirts. My husband, Eric had done some screen printing in high school and remembered some of the details. We decided to get the equipment and design some shirts. We then thought we could do tote bags also. The shoe idea just came to us, as they are canvas and we realized that we could put art on shoes.

What inspires you in crafting? We own a tattoo shop and realize that they aren’t for everyone. However, most people are very curious about them and like them, they just wouldn’t get one themselves. Most of our orders are custom designed for what the client wants.

What is something you have learned in your business that you would like to share with us? We learn something new every day. The tough part is designing things that we think people will like. We have come up with so many different designs. The best part is designing an item and having the client love it.

Stacey, you are currently involved with creating silk screened t shirts for Primo’s Pawtourage doggie gift bags. You are doing a Maltese dog design right now. What dog breed would you like to do in the future? We would like to do Sled Dog. They are amazing animals. Although we would love to do any and all dog types. We also have some horse designs that we have come up with but just haven’t put them on a shirt yet.

Do you share your home with dogs or other pets, if so, what kind and tell us about them. We have an Australian Shepherd/Border Collie named Boozer. I know, that is a funny name, but she looks like God was drunk when he made her. She is black, brown, white and grey. She has been a great dog and so good with the kids. She is such a part of our family.

Where would you like to be in 5 years with your crafting business? We would like to be doing this full time and actually making money doing the craft that we enjoy.

Tell us a little about you…how many children do you have, favorite things to do when you are not working? My name is Stacey Lange and am married to Eric Lange. We have been married for 5 years in April. My son, Philip, 13 is the light of my life. Eric has two children, Drew, 14 and Natalie 13. All the kids get along very well and are such a joy. I grew up in the Denver area and still live here. Colorado is a great place to raise children. I work full time as a Comtroller at an Automotive dealership, we own a tattoo shop, we have INkwear and in my “spare” time I am a mom and a wife. Not much free time but I truly love what I do.

One of Primo’s Pawtourage projects is a donated bag to the American Maltese Association Rescue Raffle at their National Specialty in May in Atlanta. Have you done other charity work? Would you like Primo’s Pawtourage to contribute to other dog breed rescue efforts? We just did 10 pairs of shoes for a lady, Sheri Rossi that was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in November. She has been going through Chemo and so far is a survivor. We donated 2 pairs of shoes to the benefit and also a gift certificate from the tattoo shop. The turnout for the benefit was overwhelming. I think the Maltese Rescue is such a great cause. I really wish we could help out all dogs and animals that are in need. They really deserve a better life.

Thank for allowing us a glimpse inside your life, Stacey! Best wishes to you, your family, and all your endeavors! Thank you for being a part of Primo's Pawtourage.

Celebrate!

2010-02-28T11:53:00.000-08:00

The largest puppymiller in Tennessee just got 10 years in prison for animal cruelty! Yay! Blossom and I are kicking our heals! We are making headway, I know it seems it just doesn't stop but perserverance works!

Artisan Interview - Diana Ledesma - Designs by Catalina

2010-02-27T08:05:00.000-08:00

Hi, Diana Ledesma, thank you so much for agreeing to let me interview you. We’d like to get to know you a little. You have an Etsy Shop, Designs by Catalina, where you handcraft one of a kind gifts, jewelry, keepsakes, and more! Very nice shop!

You have a background in Fine Arts and a degree in Graphic Design. Wonderful! How did you get started crafting?

Ever since I was three years old, I would watch my older brother color in his coloring book. I was so impressed on how well he did I wanted to out do him! Art has been one thing in my life that I have always done well and it always seem to come easy. I call myself a "Jill-of-all-Trades" because I enjoy so many different types of art. Such as, photography, painting, drawing, ceramics, polymer clay, weaving (beads and fiber), jewelry design, graphic design, batik, woodworking, just to name a few! I always enjoyed making gifts for family and friends and was encouraged to sell my work. I'm not involved in ETSY to make a lot of money. I just want to share my passions with others.
What inspires you in crafting?

Everything! I see a beautiful sunset and I want to paint it. I see my Maltese sleeping peacefully and I have to photograph her. I see a loved one sick I make a rosary for them. I have a drawing diary which I draw most of my ideas in to keep a record of what I want to explore. If I have a "crafting block" I go to my drawing diary to get re-inspired. I just wish there were 48 hours in a day!
What is something you have learned in your business that you would like to share with us?

Many people have told me I don't ask enough for my work. My prices are too low. That maybe true, but I want people to be able to afford my work not make a killing. With our troubled economy, to find good quality gifts, one-of-a-kind pieces, and custom designs shouldn't be hard on the budget. Most people just don't have the expendable income like they used to have. But, we all need a little "pick-me-up" that won't break the budget. A gift that really shows how much we care and not have to go into debt to achieve it.
Diana, you are currently involved with polymer clay picture frames for Primo’s Pawtourage doggie gift bags. You are doing a Maltese dog design right now. What dog breed would you like to do in the future?

I have just started sculpting dogs out of polymer clay and the Maltese and Beagle are my first breeds. I have been working on a German Shepherd and I would like to try an English Bull dog. A lot of time and research goes into my sculptures so to add a new breeds may take some time. I don't use any molds. Although, I have thought of making my own molds that I design. That way I can still say they are an original piece made by me.
Do you share your home with dogs or other pets, if so, what kind and tell us about them.

I have a special rescued Maltese that spent her first six years of her life locked in an awful puppy-mill. I have had her for almost fours year now and she has been wonderful! The lady I adopted her from once told me that, Princess Daisy, would most likely never be a "normal" pet. She was so traumatized that she didn't think I would be able to turn her around. But, as luck would have it, she learned to trust me and in turn loved me for it. I would say she is about 95% close to being a "normal" pet! And she has the "Diva" attitude down pat!
Where would you like to be in 5 years with your crafting business?

I would love to still be making my unique items and learning new things. In the two years I have been working with polymer clay, I have learned so much that I can only imagine what I would be creating in five years! I wouldn't wish to be "rich" in money but to be "rich" in friends. I have made so many friends that have shared my interests in rescued animals and jewelry making and polymer clay that I feel even more inspired to keep designing!
Tell us a little about you…are you married and does your husband/family help in your craft, what are some favorite things to do when you are not working?

I am married to the best husband in the whole world! He had encouraged me to create to my heart's content! He has a good eye for jewelry design and all my designs must pass his approval - my rule! He has been known to mix clay for me and make his own beads and then tells me how he wants me to finish "his" design! He will shop with me and research ideas to help save me time. Now, how can anyone say he is not the Best Husband in the world? I have three sons, all at home, in college and working! They will give me their opinions and suggestions which I most appreciate.

My favorite thing to do when I'm not working is to find myself in my basement office which can be seen at the Polymer Clay Tutor Blog: I have learned so much from Cindy Lietz that I have to give her some credit. Thanks, Cindy! She was kind enough to "Spot Light" my studio on her blog last July. This is where all my creativity happens and put into motion. Of course, my Princess Daisy, is always at my side!

I, also, enjoy Detroit Tiger Baseball, gardening, walking Daisy, teaching her new things - she is ten years old so you can teach an old dog new tricks! I, also, enjoy keeping in touch with friends and family on FaceBook.
One of Primo’s Pawtourage projects is a donated bag to the American Maltese Association Rescue Raffle at their National specialty in May in Atlanta . Have you done other charity work? Would you like Primo’s Pawtourage to contribute to other dog breed rescue efforts?

I feel since I can't rescue all the animals that need help by myself, I could help those who are trying to save all the ones they find. Those who spend all their waking hours saving abused animals need our help and admiration. By contributing to, Primos Pawtourage's American Maltese Association Rescue Raffle, we can help to save even more abused animals.

I have helped the Michigan Humane Society by having Daisy's photo entered into their annual calendar contest. Her photo is shown on "Black Friday" November 26, 2010. I, also, had ran a sale, last December, in my ETSY shop, designbyCATALINA, where 25% of all my "Princess Daisy Collection," doggie jewelry, sales were donated to the MHS or to an animal rescue of their choice.

Since many people in my family have either died or been diagnosed with some form of cancer, I will in the near future, set up a special section in my shop where the proceeds will benefit Cancer Research. My husband was diagnosed with cancer four years ago and is cancer free, so far! Thank God! Now, if only we can help to save everyone, who has been touched by cancer, what a wonderful world this would be!

Thanks to Primos Pawtourage for letting me be a part of a great Team!

Thank you so much for sharing a little bit about you. It is fun getting to know other crafters and thank you for being a part of Primo’s Pawtourage Team!

Artisan Interview - Leann Terrill - Terrill's Tiles

2010-02-26T14:30:00.000-08:00

This is the 2nd in series of artisan interviews for Primo's Pawtourage Team members. Today we are interviewing Leann Terrill of Terrill's Tiles, she handcrafts wonderful tile coasters, tile gifts, and tile games.

HI Leann Terrill, thank you so much for agreeing to let me interview you. We’d like to get to know you a little. You have an Etsy Shop, Terrill’s Tiles, where you sell your handcrafted tile coasters, tile gifts and tile games. Wonderful shop!

What got you started in crafting and what inspired you to make tile coasters?

I got started a few years ago when I bought an English Bulldog, Gunner. I really wanted some bulldog coasters and the ones that I had found in stores or online I didn’t like or they were asking way too much money for a set of coasters. I began trying different things and came up with my own. Tile is so absorbent and warm looking. My neighbors, family and friends saw them in my home started making requests and buying them from me. I then began doing craft shows and hence started my journey to Etsy. And I have loved every minute. Each set I do is so much fun for me, especially custom requests. Everyone has something different they want and I love it when they receive their order and are as happy as I was making them! Sounds a little sappy I know, but I’m not sappy though! ha.

What inspires you in crafting?

Besides family and friends, just about everything, inspires me! I love creating and growing. I camp, boat, fish and spend a lot of time outside. I love coming up with new ideas while I am at work, the downside is I have to wait all day to get home and actually do it! Coming up with new ideas is so much fun and fulfilling. I spend a lot of time in tile shops looking at all of the different kinds they have, I dream up stuff to make while I’m there! One of the tile shops took some of my creations to their state tile show and I received a lot of orders from that!

What is something you have learned in your business that you would like to share with us?

I have learned that is a lot harder than it looks! Takes a lot of hard work and time to efficiently run a shop and run it offline as well. It seems to people on the outside that it is pretty simple. Coming up with new creations, pictures, listing it all takes quite a bit of time. It is also so rewarding on the flip side! When you receive an email or phone call from someone absolutely loving what you’ve done, that’s pricless. I love what I do!

Leann, you are currently involved with making tile coasters for Primo’s Pawtourage doggie gift bags. You are doing a Maltese dog design right now. What other dog breeds do you do and what would you like to focus on in the future?

Obviously I would love to do the English Bulldog next! I presently am selling, aside from Maltese, the English Bulldog, Labs, Yorkies, Beagles, German Shorthairs and Cocker Spaniels. I love all breeds and hope to fill my shop with as many as possible!

Do you share your home with dogs or other pets, if so, what kind and tell us about them.

I have my English Bulldog Gunner. He is 5 years old and I bought him when he was 8 weeks old. He is a complete joy! He goes camping and boating with us! He can’t swim too well with the bulldogs short legs so he wears a lifejacket and loves riding on the tube! When you have a pet it truly becomes a family member! My daughters call him their brother, so funny! I believe everyone should have the experience of having a pet to love and love you back! I also have a pond in the back yard with 2 turtles, they are so much fun!

Where would you like to be in 5 years with your crafting business?

Definitely still selling and enjoying every minute of it. I hope it will always be as much fun as it is today! It is a great outlet and is “my own alone time” kind of thing! In 5 years both of my teenage girls will have probably have moved out so I could possibly be living in Hawaii or Australia crafting from there, that would be fun!

Tell us a little about you…you are a single mom, how do you balance that with your outside job and crafting? Do your children like to craft too? What are some favorite things to do when you are not working?

As you have said, I am a single mom, working full time and crafting. That doesn’t sound as busy as it is!! My oldest daughter, Janise is 17 and works while going to high school so she only has 2 days off a week….not much of a crafter! My youngest daughter is 14, Bailie and she is a craft nut! She goes to all of the craft shows with me selling the jewelry she makes. And she makes quite a bit of money doing it. She makes wonderful jewelry that I wear almost everyday! On my off time I definitely love being outside all summer whether we are fishing, camping or just hanging out in our backyard absorbing the sunshine! I grow a large garden and love yard work! Gunner has a little pool that he lays in when we are all outside, he gets way to hot! Funny!

One of Primo’s Pawtourage projects is a donated bag to the American Maltese Association Rescue Raffle at their National specialty in May in Atlanta. Have you done other charity work? Would you like Primo’s Pawtourage to contribute to other dog breed rescue efforts?

I have donated coasters, magnets and an English Bulldog Tile Game Board to the Southern California Bulldog Rescue. I think everyone should always do what they can to help the rescues. They are vital for our furry little friends! I appreciate all they do for all breeds in every community.

Thank you so much for sharing a little bit about you. It is fun getting to know other crafters and thank you for being a part of Primo’s Pawtourage Team!

Artisan Interview: Monique of Mischyfpaws

2010-02-25T07:17:00.000-08:00

This begins the first of a series of artisan interviews I will be conducting of the 7 other artisans involved with me working on the Primo's Pawtourage doggie gift bag project and are contributing handcrafted goodies for the gift bag. All seven are members of the Primo's Pawtourage Etsy Team. This first interview highlights Monique who sews and embroiders fabulous goodies and sells them in her Etsy shop, Mischyfpaws. Without further ado, here is the interview! Enjoy!

I hear you got started with sewing when you were quite young. Can you tell us a bit more about how you got started?

My mother got me started sewing with a child size sewing machine when I was four years old. She would buy me Barbie patterns and give me scraps of fabric from her sewing projects to make my Barbie cloths with. Where normal little girls would play with Barbie’s I was more interested in making clothes for her to wear and hang in her closet. My Barbie was a fashion cloths horse.

When I was nine my mother bought me a Singer sewing machine. I started making my own clothes for school. By the time I was in High School I was designing and making Prom and Bridal gowns for my mothers Bridal Shop. In my freshman year of high school I was accepted to Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles . After I college I needed to move to Oregon . While there I ended up taking jobs outside of the design field. I some how kept my designing to a part time business over the years.

A few years ago I discovered the world of machine embroidery. I came across embroidery by looking for Chow Chow items. I was getting frustrated because I couldn’t find products with the Chow Chow breed on it. I decide to make some of my own. I eventually found a CD that contained 25 dog breed embroidery designs on it. One of the designs was a Chow Chow. After a while people were asking me if I could make items for them. Soon I noticed I had 75 dog embroidery designs. One day right before I got laid off from my job I decided to use these embroidery designs and start a company with them. I figured this would bring in some extra money. I started my company on eBay but I wasn’t happy there. Two months later I closed my store on eBay and I opened Mischyfpaws.etsy.com.

Now I am enjoying machine embroidery so much that I am learning how to make my own embroidery designs. Hopefully I will be able to offer my own designs for sale in the future.
What inspires you in crafting?

The things that inspire me are music, art, animals, taking walks, nature and the fashion industry.
What is something you have learned in your business that you would like to share with us?

The most important thing for me to pass along to anybody starting a business is to get organized as quickly as possible. When the orders start coming you have no time to organize.
Monique, you are currently involved with creating embroidered items for Primo’s Pawtourage doggie gift bags. You are doing a Maltese dog design right now. How many dog breeds do you have in embroidery patterns?

I am always adding designs to my inventory. I currently have 128 dog designs, 107 of them are dog breeds with 82 breeds currently offered in my Mischyfpaws.etsy.com store. One of my goals this year is to start making my own dog embroidery designs.
You share your home with dogs, what kind and tell us about them?

I am currently owned by a Chow Chow named Nicky. He is a pure breed, very talkative and smart. He is so smart he has figured out how to open closed doors by turning the knob with his teeth and front paws. Nicky is at my side 24 hours of the day. He goes everywhere with me.

I take care of my mother and she is currently owned by a Lhasa apso named Misty. Misty has been tagged with the nickname of “queen of the sofa”. You can always find her proudly sitting on the sofa.
Where would you like to be in 5 years with your crafting business?

After working many years in non creative jobs with middle management bullies and laid-off four times, I am well over due for a change. After I was laid-off the last time I started thinking about what I really want to do. What I want and have always wanted is my own company.

In 5 years I hope to be my own boss making a profit from my embroidery business. I would like a company that I can support myself with. I also would like to have a small home with a little land for a vegetable garden. Finally, I would like to have my art work showing in some gallery in Portland and making cloths for Portland Fashion Week. I think that would be an awesome accomplishment!!
Tell us a little about you… favorite things to do when you are not working?

My life right now is pretty much working on my business and trying to get my company going. I don’t have a lot of time for my hobbies. I am current taking care of my mother and reside with her. I was laid-off a year ago and like many others, I can’t seem to find a job.

When I am not working on my business, you will find me walking by the river or one of the scenic nature paths around the city. I also enjoy taking a day and viewing the art in the art galleries around town. I read, draw, sew, loom knit, weave and enjoy pastels and painting. My newest hobby is spinning yarn. On special days I will spend a day or two and drive out to the Waterfalls Oregon is known for or visit one of the many beaches here.
One of Primo’s’ Pawtourage projects is a donated bag to the American Maltese Association Rescue Raffle at their National specialty in May in Atlanta . Have you done other charity work? Would you like Primo’s Pawtourage to contribute to other dog breed rescue efforts?

Since I have opened Mischyfpaws I’ve been approached by various charities to donate items to. Primo’s Pawtourage is my first charity work that I have done from etsy. I wouldn’t mind working with other rescues.

Thank you for allowing me to interview you, Monique. Best of luck to you in all your endeavors!

Primo's Pawtourage

2010-02-21T13:03:00.001-08:00

You'll be hearing quite a bit about Primo's Pawtourage on here now so I thought I would let you know what it is all about. Primo's Pawtourage is the dog themed products line of my main store. In December I formed a collective called Primo's Pawtourage and since then we have become an official Etsy Team collective and I have separated Primo's Pawtourage from 2 Virgos Designs and gave it its own storefront on Etsy. Our main product will be doggie themed gift bags, our first featuring the Maltese dog. There are 8 Etsians contributing handcrafted goods custom made for this project including me. This is an exciting venture and one prong of this project will be a donated gift bag going to the American Maltese Association's Rescue Raffle in May in Atlanta, Georgia. Since we have more products than can fit in one bag, we will alternate the items giving the retail version an air of some mystery and surprise for its buyers. This is a high end gift bag aimed towards the collectors of specific dog breeds memorabilia. Chock full of unique and beautiful custom made work, it will be sure to surprise and please!

new banner for Primo's Pawtourage

2010-02-21T12:55:00.000-08:00

It is high time I give credit where credit is due! About a month ago Diana Ledesma of Designs by Catalina on Etsy sweetly agreed to make a new banner for our collective's new Etsy shop, Primo's Pawtourage! Thank you Diana! drop by Primo's Pawtourage to take a gander at our new banner.

Primo's Pawtourage doggie gift bag project

2010-02-20T08:34:00.000-08:00

My Primo's Pawtourage line, dog themed products, is working on an incredible collective project, currently a Maltese doggie gift bag! Including me, there are 8 wonderful Etsy artisans involved in the project. Our goal? To make a high end custom designed gift bag for dog lovers in general and Maltese lovers specifically. I will begin to feature each of the artisans involved with a pic of their submitted work for the bag. Our first project is to be donated to the American Maltese Association Rescue Raffle being held at the National Specialty in May in Atlanta. we are all verye xcited to be working on this project together. For me, this is a first, to be working in unison with other artisans, and it is challenging and fun! Mainly working with creative juices and time constraints are a challenge but I am loving every minute of it and must give full credit to all the other artisans for making this such a wonderful experience.

Here is who is involved currently:

Monique of Mischyfpaws
Megan of RueDesign
Rachel of a Time To Heal
Stacey Lange of Inkwear
Diana Ledesma of Designs by CATALINA
Lisa of Mias Munchies
Leann Terrill of Terrills Tiles
Jackie Sample, Primo's Pawtourage

Article on Team Member Leann

2010-01-27T13:35:00.000-08:00

Handmade News published a wonderful interview on Leann Terrill, a valued fellow Etsy Team member, of Primo's Pawtourage. Leann has her own Etsy shop and handcrafts beautiful tile coasters and other neat things. She has designed a Maltese coaster for our current Team project, the Maltese doggie bling gift bag.

Awesome Day! A Day of Blessings!

2010-01-24T02:49:00.000-08:00

I am so grateful for the many blessings in my life. Yes, bad things happen to me and some days are really hard but every once in a while something happens that just blows me away. Yesterday was one of those days.

I got to talk to one of my Etsy Team members on the phone and it was really uplifting! Thanks Stacey!

Then I posted on a forum that I needed a copy of Microsoft Office 2003, as my newer used pc has no office suite on it, and an anonymous friend is sending me a legit copy of Windows 7 and Office!!! I sat in front of the monitor with my mouth hanging open for minutes! I can't believe this, it is just so wonderful! I use Windows 98, and figured that would be what i use till the day I die! LOL

I was a little worried about money, I have more outgoing for bills than normal trying to pay off the vet bill and I got my first Alchemy request for a nice custom order! I SO love Etsy even with its hiccups!

I thank God for these many blessings!

Is it Relevant?

2010-01-22T08:19:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Etsy Admins decided to do a site wide live experiment of a new search based on relevancy instead of recency. One thing I noted: big name popular sellers had a drastic drop in views and sales, little known small less popular sites, like mine, experienced a rise in views and sales. (I had higher views.) The current recency search strongly favors those with bigger budgets to renew and relist, I am wholeheartedly in favor of a search that rotates sellers so everyone has a chance. The experiment was a failure really because title and material stuffing won the day and hogged the first several pages all day of any search. They need to work on it, but that was understood from the start. I think they are on the right track. Most importantly, misstagging needs to be addressed.

And the winners are....

2010-01-21T05:33:00.000-08:00

Katherine of Phetched.com announced the winners of my give away, Shauna, Kate, and Eleanor! A huge thank you to Katherine for hosting this fun give away and congrats to the happy winners!

2 Virgos Designs Give Away

2010-01-18T04:02:00.000-08:00

Phetched.com is kindly hosting my give away of some glittery dog bone guest soaps! Easy to enter, just comment. Ends Jan. 20. The dog bones are part of the dog themed products in my Primo's Pawtourage line.

Skin MD Naturals Giveaway!

2010-01-16T16:59:00.000-08:00

Wow! Skin MD Naturals is having a great give away! It's worth $100 and includes:
1.A Bottle Skin MD Natural shielding lotion
2.A Bottle Skin MD Natural + SPF 15 shielding lotion
3.One pound of See's dark assorted chocolates
4.12 Starbucks VIA Ready brew coffee pouches
5.A "Kiss Me" mug
6.A Cuddly teddy bear
7.Lollipop Bouquet
8.All in a lined wicker basket

Soapy Links

2010-01-14T03:44:00.000-08:00

Check out Carolyn Friedman's blog Becoming a Radiologist Technician where she has listed the "Top 25 Soap Making Resources Online” All my favorites are there and a couple of new ones I will be checking out.

shake up or shake down on Etsy

2010-01-12T14:05:00.000-08:00

Rob Kalin is back, the original CEO of Etsy he has been gone for about 2 years and in that time Etsy has finally made a profit although arguably from signing up new sellers and near riots have been occuring on the forums about deteriorating customer service and major features of the site just not working like SEO. There is a breath of hope wafting through the forums tempered with a good dose of cynicism and I must admit I feel the same way. I've had a shop on Etsy for more than a year now and have watched it fall down on the job more and more everyday, from the ever increasing hordes of resellers allowed and even promoted by Etsy against Etsy's own TOU's to severe hang ups in Check Out hampering and even preventing buyers from shopping. I ahve grown alarmed, Etsy is the most viable handcrafted venue on the Net, what will I do if it becomes impossible to run a successful shop there. I pray Rob actually listens and acts quickly on the many pleas of its own customers, us, the sellers on Etsy, and the confused and angry stirring from our buyers, frustrated with a Search feature that doesn't work due to rampant uncontrolled mistagging and the inablility to easily pay for their purchases. And I hope he does it NOW, business has fallen off for many sellers, the economy is not good, we need the site to pop! I love Etsy, the community of Etsy, and the promise of Etsy, and there is no sane reason Etsy should not be THE foremost place to shop for quality handcrafted goods, supplies, and vintage.

Give Away Winner!

2010-01-03T06:34:00.000-08:00

A huge shoutout to Lynne Matthews of Coos Bay, Oregon! Congratulations, you won a soy wax lotion tart from my shop, 2 Virgos Designs. A huge thank you to Audrey Friesen who hosted my give away and wrote a nice review of my soy wax lotion tarts with emu oil on her blog, Audrey's Give Aways Blog.

Seasons Greetings!

2009-12-25T07:26:00.001-08:00

Have a safe, wonderful and joyous holiday!

Skin MD Naturals Lotion Review

2009-12-23T09:36:00.000-08:00

Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion is made with some really nice natural ingredients like Aloe and Arnica. It is Vegan, fragrance and color free. I started my week long test by discontinuing all usage of my emu oil products. The first thing I noticed about Skin MD Natural is its rapid absorption rate, it sinks right into the skin and you only need to use a little. It leaves no greasy, oily, or waxy feel either. I like this! I have severely dry, problem skin and before I started using emu oil products had to file my hands every day with a fine callous remover several times a day to remove the coarse sharp alligator skin I develop that tears nylons. I had got to the point where I needed only file my hands once or twice a week. Unfortunately, I had to end testing of this product after Day Four. My skin was so dry it hurt, and ragged due to rough, dry skin. While using Skin MD I had to once again file my hands every day several times a day due to rough, dry skin. I also had to reapply Skin MD Natural about every 2 hours. While Skin MD Natural is a nice lotion, it did not work well for severely dry, problem skin like mine. It would be satisfactory for lightly to moderately dry skin and for those wanting a vegan lotion with many natural ingredients that absorbs quick and leaves no residue on the skin.

Testing Skin MD Natural Lotion

2009-12-08T09:49:00.000-08:00

Cat Doss contacted me after she read my blog with an interesting proposition, she wanted to send me full sized bottle of Skin MD Natural Lotion for me to test and review! I have severe skin problems due to health, and the only thing I have ever found that helps is emu oil and my own soy wax lotion tarts, so Skin MD has some fierce competition. I will use it one week and stop using my own emu oil products and tally the results next Tuesday and post a review for you all. You know me, if I find a good product, I like to give kudos and props when they are deserved, even if it is my competetion. There's room for both my products and others too in the market and if it works more power to them! Different things work for different people, so if this helps, great! So let's see what happens!

I Hate spam!

2009-12-08T09:47:00.000-08:00

I got my first spam here on my blog so am now forced to put comments on moderation! Spammers must be the stupidest people in the world...we remember them and automatically will NEVER buy anything from them and talk about them so others won't too!

Fantastic Give Away Blog!

2009-12-08T07:14:00.001-08:00

Reposting this as a reminder the give away is still happening! If you like Give Aways, and who doesn't like getting something neat free, go check out Audreys' Give Aways. She does excellent reviews of the various artisans she finds (she did one for me and she is thorough) and hosts Give Aways for products that are really unique, well made and just plain cool like the OcasiaCasa Give Away she is featuring now, her newest.

Soy Wax Lotion Tart Give Away!

2009-12-04T20:21:00.000-08:00

Reposting this, to remind everyone! Audrey's Give Aways is hosting a give away of my Soy Wax Lotion Tarts! Read all about them in her review and enter to win, win, win this awesome product! Many ways to win! Thank you Audrey!

Featured!

2009-12-04T15:00:00.000-08:00

2 Virgos Designs was featured on a blog, The Art of Craft. Thank you, Robert! go on over and read all about 2 Virgos Designs!

New Primos Pawtourage Project!

2009-12-03T11:08:00.000-08:00

After a year of thinking about it, I finally launched Primo's Pawtourage's newest and most awesome project: a dog breed specific high end doggie gift bag! The dog breed is the Maltese, we will see where it takes us! One bag will be a donation for the American Maltese Association's rescue raffle at their dog show in May 2010, something dear to my heart, as my Maltese Blossom is a rescued puppymill survivor! We will also be launching a retail verison of the same bag! I canvassed for contributing artisans from Etsy and there are now 7 of us involved in the project! Everyone is really enthusiastic and excited, this is so cool! Even if we don't sell one bag we will have had fun and helped out with Maltese rescue! Here is what we have so far: an applique tote bag to hold it all, an embroidered mess bag and towel, a key chain, a placemat, an Eco toy, scrumptious dog treats, a bar of my hand milled dog soap with emu oil, a bar of paw print soap, a 3D Maltese soap dog, and a cool Maltese designed t shirts! This tote bag better be big! I am looking into advertising with Maltese Monthly to get our retail bag off the ground and on the market. I will also offer it through my Etsy shop. We'll be looking at other promotional avenues too. I am so stoked about this project, and to be working with such a cool group of people is awesome! To think: one little 5 pound dog started me on this road! Thank you my dearly beloved Primo. I miss you.

Vegan Soy Wax Lotion Tart Review

2009-12-02T04:53:00.000-08:00

Heather of Feathered Friends Mementos wrote an awesome review of my Vegan Soy Wax Lotion Tarts! Read it here! Thank you Heather!

Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T08:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I ahve so much to be grateful for. Most of all, that I get to spend the day with my mother and a good friend. Last year this time mom was dreadfully sick and in an out of hospital. I am thankful she is alive and home! Have a wonderful safe day!

Vegan Mamere's Punkin' Pie Hand Milled Soap

2009-11-25T08:04:00.000-08:00

I made a block of custom Vegan soap for Christina. Instead of my standard emu oil I used mango butter and evening primrose oil. Mango butter has suberb emollient properties and evening primrose oil is known widely for it skin nurturing benefits. This soap was an adventure for me! The first batch I made had too much fluid in it and would not set! It was the first time I have ever had a batch of hand milled that ruined, my first ever mistake! Oops! Threw it away and made it again. I used pumpkin puree like usual and for the first time, pumpkin powder for exfoliating. And this wasa wiht the pumpkin shortage, you don't know what i went through to get a can of pumpkin, then I end up with several. Mom came to the rescue of course! Through all this, Christina was more than gracious and patient! I used a new fragrance and it had a high vanilla content, unbeknownst to me, and the soap turned from orange to brown! This is normal but was unexpected, I did not know it had that much vanilla in it but it smells lovely! Anxious, I awaited Christina's feedback...she is delighted with it! Yay! Thank you Christina for being so patient!

2009-11-24T18:20:00.000-08:00

Linda B has featured my Black Knight of Avalon Spa Bag in her Etsy Top 5 Finds blog! Go check out Linda B's Blog! There are all kinds of goodies there! Thank you Linda B!

I won!

2009-11-23T12:14:00.000-08:00

I was the 200th fan and surprise! I won a beautifully wrought clay mug from Claytastic! It is gorgeous! Thank you Laurie! If you want a cool gift that is beautiful AND functional go check out Claytastic right now!

Blossom Won!

2009-11-23T06:56:00.000-08:00

Woo hoo! Blossom won the November Pets Jubilee Pet Photo Contest! A huge thank you to Pets Jubilee and to everyone who voted for Blossom and made her a winner! Pets Jubilee makes and sells a wonderful pet sampler box with items made by different Etsy artisans. The sampler box is a great way to try out different treats, toys and such before committing to buy from individual sellers! Sampler boxes are full of things for dogs, cats, gerbils, and other pets.

Update on Mom

2009-11-21T10:33:00.000-08:00

The doctor has found another mass in my mom's abdomen, she is going for a CT scan Tuesday. I will go with her. Saying many prayers for mom, I had hoped this would not happen again. I wish they could figure out why this is happening and stop it. I feel so badly for mom and wish I could take it from her. I want this part of her life to be comfortable and nice for her. She will be 75 December 11. I got her present already, she will love it.

Soapies Supplies Interview

2009-11-21T03:04:00.000-08:00

Kelley of Soapies Supplies kindly interviewed me. It is a great article. You can read it here! Show some love and leave a comment too! Soapies Supplies offers a nice variety of premium soaping supplies. Thank you Kelley!

A Week to Be Joyful About

2009-11-13T09:12:00.001-08:00

Sometimes, amidst the hardships and challenges of eveyday living we will experience a day so spectacular it makes it all worthwhile. I have had a week that stands out from the rest and makes me so grateful to be alive and validates my determination to stick with it no matter what! Earlier this week I got a newer pc someone had donated to the community I live in, my old one is getting ready to kick the bucket, couldn't have happened at a better time, now I can save my files! Mom gave me a new beautiful armchair for my living room and a chest of drawers, now my delicates have their own drawer! Thnk you Mom! I have been handpicked for 3 Etsy treasuries, one is live right now, my Peppermint Oatmeal Buttermilk Bath Sachets were selected. Please go and show some love by clicking on the products, and leave a comment if there is space. I really would appreciate it! And here I thought I was invisible amongst the thousands of wonderful shops on Etsy! Thank you Etsy and thanks to each of the selllers who graciously handpicked my prodcuts to showcase.

Find Out About the Etsy Black Friday Extravaganza Thread

2009-11-09T07:17:00.000-08:00

Here is the thread link on Etsy to find all about our Black Friday weekend Extravaganza! Join in the fun!

Indie Smiles Coupon Directory

2009-11-09T06:31:00.001-08:00

Any Etsy shop wanting to join in on the fun of our Black Friday Weekend Extravaganza can get free ad space on Indiesmiles Coupon Directory. Sue has graciously given us free ad space for our joint weekend extravaganza November 27 through 30th. Thank you Sue for your time and efforts!

Featured on Handmade Louisiana!

2009-11-09T04:16:00.000-08:00

Lisa on Handmade Louisiana wrote a real nice profile on me and my little shop 2 Virgos Designs. Etsy's Handmade Lousiana is a wonderful group of Louisiana artisans of which I am a proud member. Thank you, Lisa!

News Flash! Etsy Black Friday Extravaganza Announcement

2009-11-08T09:12:00.000-08:00

Announcing The Black Friday Extravaganza on Etsy! Over 300 sellers have collaborated on this project, each seller has their own special, some offer free shipping, some offfer Buy One Get One Free, others offer discounts. 2 Virgos Designs offers a 15% discount on order of $15 or more on everything in the store! Just write "Black Friday" in the Notes to Seller on the Check Out page. The sale begins November 27 and lasts to midnight November 30th. To see a list of the stores involved check out this site. There are so many the page listing revolves, so check back again or refresh your page to see other stores offering great Black Friday specials! The Black Friday Extravaganza blog offers a little history of Black Friday and Cyber Monday too! Check out IndieSmiles who is graciously promoting our Black Friday Extravaganza and has featured my shop too!

Free Ad Space for 2 Virgos!

2009-11-08T08:18:00.000-08:00

Cathy Winsby of Soap Making Essentials has graciously given me free ad space. You can see my ad as well as some other nice soap shops here. Thank you so much Cathy!

I'm in a Treasury

2009-10-30T03:05:00.000-07:00

What an honor! My Moonlight Sonata Hand Milled Soap with Emu Oil has been featured in a fabuluous fall colors treasury created by ChickaDeesigns on Etsy. ChickaDeesigns handcrafts the loveliest resin pendants and fridge magnets. Thank you for adding me to your beautiful and colorful treasury CheckaDeesigns!

2 Virgos Designs Featured on a Blog

2009-10-23T08:06:00.000-07:00

Wind and Rain kindly featured a blurb about my Etsy shop. Thank you Marie!

Review of 2 Virgos Designs' Soy Wax Lotion Tarts

2009-10-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

Patrice of The Soap Seduction has written anice review of my Soy Wax Lotion Tarts on her blog. Patrice handcrafts wonderful cold process soap and make up, like the Lip Lush Trio I got from her, which is really nice. Check out her nice blog and her ArtFire shop, get some holiday shopping done! Thank you Patrice!

Shout Out for WoodenLove Affair

2009-10-17T07:58:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine, Kathi Lozier and her husband Lou of WoodenLoveAffair and on Etsy had a nice interview written on them by HandMadeNews on ArtFire and they kindly mentioned me and my shop, 2 Virgos Designs, as one of the favorite shops. Kathi and Lou handcraft exquisite pieces rangin from jewelry to boxes from wood, often using exotic woods. Their work is incredible and I urge you to go on over to either of their shops and check them out. Their pieces make unique and beautiful gifts, and just in time for the holidays! Thank you Lou and Kathi for the Shout Out!

Home from the Hospital

2009-10-17T07:48:00.000-07:00

I had to go into the hospital last week for 5 days for observation and testing for my blood pressure problems. Things checked out Ok there and the doctor put me on a strict dosing schedule with my meds and a strict low sodium/diabetic diet and I got home 2 days ago. Boy, did I miss Blossom, my dog and my pc! It was so good to get home. I stayed at Doctors Hospital in Shreveport, it has been partially closed down for several years with just a wing open for drug rehab but is now open and accepting patients and that is where my doctor works out of now. It was very clean, the food was good, and staff wonderful, a pleasant stay for a hospital but there is no place like home! I feel better and my blood pressure while still getting a little high is much more stable. I had an abdominal ultrasound day before yesterday and we will be comparing it to my tests done in 2005 which showed the right side of my liver enlarged and deformed. If it has gotten worse, that will explin the sudden changes in my blood pressure. There won't be anything we cn do about it, but it will be an answer. My biggest challenges: this new diet and the strict time table for my medicines. I know I can do it though, I want to be as healthy as I can be and it is up to me in a large way.

Feathered Friends Mementos Review of My Soy Wax Lotion Tarts

2009-10-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

jix1764 of Feathered Friends Mementos blog has cast her vote and written a nice, thorough review of my soy wax lotion tarts. Thanks Heather!

Take it to the bank 24 K mineral eyeshadow

2009-10-05T09:46:00.000-07:00

I just had the privilege of getting some 24 K gold mineral eyeshadow from Mum Mum's Craft's on Etsy. Lucy has done a suberb job at making a wonderful, soft, smooth, adhering true to color that lasts and lasts gold eye shadow. Gold is my fav color along with black of course, so I wear this all the time. This eye shadow came in a cute 10 gram sifter jar which is quite a lot of eye shadow, it will last for some time. The ingredients are: mica, iron oxide, titanium dioxide, magnesium myristate, kaolin. I am picky about my gold eye shadow, this is true gold and quite lovely. If you need some high quality mineral make up, hurry on over to Mum Mum's Crafts and check her out, she has many colors of eye shadow, lip color, mascara and other goodies that she makes herself. Lucy puts quite a bit of time and effort into making premium quality mineral make up. Thanks Lucy!

New Soapie Direction: Vegan

2009-10-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

I have noted some people are asking about my emu oil and indicating they would prefer not to have it in the soap and soy tarts. I have been wanting to offer a Vegan line but to be perfectly honest, emu oil is spectacular snd provides benefits that really can't be matched. There is no comparison. But last week I took a custom order for 2 pounds of Vegan hand milled soap and after quite a bit of research I am taking out the emu oil and adding evening primrose oil and mango butter to it. I cannot add much evening primrose oil to the soap so we will see what the customer thinks of it after she uses it. When I pour and cut up this batch of Mamere's Vegan Punkin' Pie Soap I will post a picture of it here. I will make some soy lotion tarts with almond oil which is nothing more than just a vegetable oil with no special properties and a touch of evening primrose oil and see how they test out. The tarts with emu oil will be a hard act to follow, feedback is awesome for them, they are simply better than any lotion tried and the skin moisturizing lasts for hours, far better than the best lotion.

"Help! Someone is Copying me!" What to do.

2009-09-23T13:47:00.000-07:00

Donna Maria, CEO of Indie Beauty Network, radio show host and producer, author, work shop organizer, and speaker has written an excellent article about what to do if (when) you discover someone is copying your business ideas. It can happen to any of us, and probably will the longer we are in business for ourselves, and often the perpetrator is a friend, and our reaction can be pretty emotional. Read Donna Maria's well written blog article and find out what you can do to weather this in your business. Thank you Donna Maria for this heads up guide.

SilkFair Experience Today

2009-09-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

Today I got a spam email in my SilkFair inbox. I wrote SilkFair right away and told them about it. I got a reply in less than 5 minutes, I have almost never seen such speedy customer service! They immediately deleted the spammer's account and wrote me back and told me about it right away. I have my shop on vacation there right now due to health problems and no sales but I am most impressed with SilkFair and their superb customer service. I would highly recommend SilkFair to any handcrafter wanting a new venue for their goods. I have a free account there but you can purchase a premium account too I believe. With customer service like this, I predict SilkFair will be a rising star!

Vote for Blossom!

2009-09-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

Pets Jubilee on Etsy is running a photo contest starting today and ending the 27th! Please vote for Blossom, she is contestant #22, the Maltese in the leopard dress, stylin'! It is easy to vote, just make a signed comment on her entry, you can vote once a day, make sure you type the word verification in. The prize is free advertising, a sampler box, and they will use blossom's picture as an avatar on their website for one month. Blossom is already a winner in my book, help make her the contest winner, it is easy and free! thank so much!

Blossom's Birthday (Belated) Wish

2009-09-18T15:15:00.000-07:00

woof, I am Blossom, I am a Maltese dog and Mommy said she will type this out for me. It is my birthday wish. My 7th birthday was August 20 but mommy has been real sick, so I forgive her for being so late. I just want her to get better, she walks me more then and plays more with me.

I came to mommy last December. I grew up in a tiny cage just big enough to have a litter of puppies in and turn around in. I never went outside and when I first saw grass I grew very afraid. The people who kept me in the cage were mean to me, their hands always hurt me, grabbing me and sqeezing me by the scruff of my neck and jabbing sharp needles into me. They took my puppies away from me, I did not get to see them grow up. they gave me shots all the time and made me breed with strange male dogs and I had about 3 litters a year. Dogs are only supposed to have one litter a year, the shots mommy tells me were human hormones to make me come in season more than nature meant for me to. I never got enough to eat and it was bad food, I was always hungry and very skinny. The cage was wire, snd it hurt my feet to always stand on it, and my toes permenantly splayed outwards from trying to get purchase on the wire cage bottom to walk, my toes would keep falling though the cage bottom. It hurt. I never got a real bath, or a hair cut, the humans would turn a hose on and spray me and my puppies off with a blast of cold water every once in a while. We had no where to go to the bathroom away from our food bowl and bed. It was very dirty and I was very dirty and my fur was matted to my body and stank bad but I did not know this until I was rescued. One day, I got sick. I did not get better. The humans did not believe in spending any money on us dogs if we got sick, they would just get rid of us. The humans took me out of the cage I was so scared! and gave me to another lady. I did not know it then but she was nice. I was terrified, I had never been out of my cage before and when we got to her hosue she shaved all my matted fur off! I had skin and she gave me a bath and I did not stink any more. I thought she was going to kill me but it turned out all right. The clippers made a horrible buzzing noise but did not cut me just my hair. (I am a Maltese and we have hair not fur!) The bath water was warm! I saw things at her house I had never dreamed existed. I hid a lot at first. The other dogs showed me the way to get round. The nice lady (Deborah) had other dogs she had rescued. We ran in a pack in the house free and I learned to walk around a large space in the house but it scared me so I would spin just like I was in the cage still. I still spin when I get nervous. But it happens less and less. I lived with Deborah for 8 months then she took me in long car ride (wow, cars!) and left me with mommy. I was terrifed of mommy but she has turned out to be the nicest lady. She feeds me real good and I have a big bowl full of different food ALL THE TIME and can eat whenever I want and it is all mine and i have enough and plenty of fresh water too. She gives me baths me and has me groomed so my fur is always nice and clean. The most amazing thing is the bed! This HUGE, soft cushion we lie on all day and night if we want, no holes in the bottom for my toes to fall through and it is so comfy. I can't believe this human, she even puts dresses on me because she figured out the air conditioning made me cold since my hair is short now. Dresses! Me! I am so special. I like my dresses, they are real cute and warm. They belong only to me. Mommy lets me walk and run anywhere in the apartment that I want to. She did not grab me all the time and let me get used to this new place and to her and i slowly allowed her to touch me and pet me. I did not know what petting was and it really scared me at first, I would quake from head to toe when her hands touched me at first. I don't shake now and I like being petted, it feels so good! Her hands do not hurt me, she never grabs me or squeezes me, and she is very gentle with me and never yells at me or blasts me with cold water or jabs me with a needle. Sometimes we go some place in a car and I do get jabbed but it is quick and the humans are nice and mommy tells me it is so I will not get sick. I cannot believe my good luck. I thought humans were horrible creatures and my life was so miserable, Now I am a little queen, mommy tells me and I can do whatever I want. I am a good dog and never bother anything. I sleep a lot because I am still tired from having all those puppies. I am so sorry for them, for I know maybe they are lving in a cage like I did for 5 years. I am so glad I do not have puppies any more, I still do not like my tummy touched much but I will let mommy stroke it once in a while when I am in a good mood. She never hurts me.

Mommy says this place I come from is called a puppymill. It is factory for making dogs have more puppies just to make money for the humans that run it. Everything is about money there, we are objects not creatures with feelings and needs. We are property there. Not like now, mommy is my family. Those humans do not believe in spending moeny on us dogs if we get sick. They feel we are then worthless because we are not making them money and they let us die there or get rid of us like they did with me. I got lucky, and now I live in a palace. But mommy says there are many puppymills still out there and thousands of poor dogs suffering like i did. They sell their puppies to Pet Shops. A reputable breeder would NEVER sell their puppies to a pet shop because their puppies are part of their family and they care about them, they send them to good homes where the people are checked out and made sure they can take good care of them for their whole lives. My birthday wish is for all the puppymills to be closed down. This will only happen if people make them stop and they can be made to stop by refusing to buy puppies from back yard breeders and pet shops. If a puppy comes from a good home there will be an interview and the adopters may even have a home visit by the breeder to make sure they have a nice home to bring the puppy to. Please spread the word about puppymills and get people to stop buying puppies from them.

I live a good life now and want all dogs to be so lucky. All's well that ends well. I am very happy now and I get to style in my new dwesses! How do you like my dwess in the pic? I even have matching bows but don't tell mommy I hate them, they pull my hair and I take them out as soon as I can. I get to meet new humans who are real nice to me, so that is nice. Mommy has a friend who comes over all the time and she is real nice to me. I get to go on walks around the apartment complex and that is really fun. I like eating and get to eat whenever I like. I really love stretching out on the bed and even have a pillow to put my head on and my own blankie. Mommy and i play catchmeifyoucan but I always win, I am so fast! Sometimes I let her think she has won though. LOL I have an important job, I am the guard dog here and I am very good at it. What is really neat is all the space I have to roam around in here and I love running through the apartment very fast just because I can.

Thank you for reading my letter and thanks to mommy for writing it for me, the big words are hard for me. Now it is time for a nap!

Downsizing

2009-09-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I bit the bullet, faced the facts, and closed down all my online web stores but 3. The 3 remaining ones are Etsy, my main squeeze of course; Bonanzle; and Sellers Arena which is really not working yet anyway. I have had absolutely no sales on the others and with my health problems can no longer devote the time to keep them updated when I sell something on the active ones. I gave them all a good run for the money, so to speak, and they just didn't pay off. Bonanzle yet may go too, we shall see. I do not like the venue there, just not enough handmade stores, too many commercial interests. I've met some nice people, but it is sales I am interested in after all. So out with the flotsam, in with the proven venues.

Update

2009-09-16T14:12:00.001-07:00

I am holding my own and haven't been to the ER in way over a week now so am feeling stronger. Thanks for your encouraging words! soon I will post a review of some stellar mineral eye shadow I have just received and a long awaited article on puppymills from my dog, Blossom's, viewpoint, I promise it will end on a very good note! Blossom gives it a 2 paw salute!

Still Battling

2009-09-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to let you know I have not forgotten you! My blood sugar has now joined the battle along with my blood pressure and things are pretty rough, been to the ER 4 times since the 18th of August. Blossom's (my Maltese dog) birthday was August 20th and she wanted me to post about her birthday wish, the end of puppymills. As soon as I am better, I will write about this for her.

Oatmeal, Goat Milk, and Honey Hand Milled Soap with Emu Oil

2009-08-16T13:17:00.000-07:00

Ready for sale! I tried my hand at staging the pic, hmmm. Wonderfully fragrant @5 ounce bar of hand milled goat milk soap scented with oatmeal, milk and honey fragrance with a touch of almond. Delicious and good old fashioned comfort aroma! Loaded with colloidal oatmeal to provide gentle exfoliation and contains real honey. Can be bought at http://2VirgosDesigns.etsy.com

Ingredients: Goat milk, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Kernel Oil, Glycine Soja (Soybean) oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Emu Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower)Oil, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour, Water, Honey, Fragrance, Tocopherol Acetate

To Blog or Not?

2009-08-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

A question on one of the forums is whether our blogs should contain personal matter or be strictly business. I know I don't follow a blog myself if it is solely commercial, I get enough of commercials eveywhere else. I quickly unfollow anyone on Twitter if all they post are endless promos. More than 5 ads, and they are history. While I do post new products and do product reviews here as the case arises, I feel like me, you want to know a little bit about me, what is going on in my life, what interests me, and what challenges do I face sometimes. I find it fun and interesting and yes, sometimes sad, to read about other bloggers' lives and goings on, I WANT to hear about it, it is what makes that person's blog stand out and makes me want to come back for more. I try to keep it balanced here, a little personal, a little business, to make it live and breathe. What do you think?

Naturally Fresh

2009-08-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

August 3 Melanie McCullough of Herbal Natures in Bradford, Illinois sent me a sample of her delightful Natural Deodorant. I am really impressed with this all natural alternative to the chemical full deodorants I purchase at the store. This came superbly and professionally packaged in a pop up deodorant tube, a generous 1.25 ounce sample. It is made with Arrowroot Powder, coconut oil, castor oil, Meadowfoam oil, candelelilla, silica, zinc oxide, and lightly scented with essential oils, Floral Fantasy. Melanie has really done her home work and come up with a wonderful product that works well! It completely stopped any under arm odor all day in the dank high heat of Louisiana and was scented light enough to not interfere with my own cologne. This deodorant is just the right consistency, not too soft and this sample will last me a while. I have hepatitis c and blood cancer so am extremely sensitive to heavy metals like the aluminum used in store bought deodorants. Finding a healthy alternative like this that works so well has made my day! This Natural Deodorant is the ticket for anyone wanting to use a safer, healthier deodorant. She will be adding this to her line up in the near future, if you would like to try this, email her, she has a few on hand. Also, feel free to check out her other wonderful natural products, like her mineral make up and linen spray. Thank you Melanie!

The Fight

2009-08-08T07:40:00.000-07:00

Suddenly I have found myself in a fight for my life. Even the slightest touch of salt in my food makes my blood pressure skyrocket, a week ago it went up to 244/117. This was a mini stroke. Scared the you know what out of me. I did not go to the hospital, last time this happened, all they did was do some uncomfortable tests, admit me, throw me in a room, gave me NO medicine to bring my BP down, and forgot all about me. I left after some hours of this. This time, I called a caring friend and neighbor, Suzanne, and she sat with me whle I took an extra clonidine (what the hospital gives), drank plenty of water, and practiced self biofeedback to lower my pulse rate and blood pressure. This time it worked, but I cannot get my BP down to normal and am terrified of eating anything. I guess that is one way to lose weight! LOL After being told twice by my doctor's office that I could NOT come in for a follow up to my 1st transient ischemic attack (mini stroke) on June 5th, at other's pleadings, I called again on Thursday and they agreed to let me come in yesterday. He checked me out, will pore over the labs taken, did not want to change anything till he perused the labs, refilled my prescriptions and told me I was following the best course of action and did the right thing this time. I will return to see him on the 8th of September, now just to manage to live long enough to do so! I find it ironic after so many years when I wanted to die (years ago when younger) I now have no intention of going anywhere. I am happy - truly happy - for the first time in my my life and have tons more soap to make!

Alice Online Shopping Service Review

2009-08-05T15:25:00.000-07:00

A friend turned me on to Alice, a new online shopping and delivery service. A personal shopper! I shopped on Saturday, picking out the minimum order of 6 brand name items, all things I needed badly, including Pantene Red Expressions color enhancing shampoo, Northern Quilted toilet tissue and Baggie brand sandwich bags. My order only totaled $21.00 and the shipping is FREE! I received my order today, Wednesday, via FedEx, wow, this is wonderful! I've been waitng YEARS for this service and it went without a hitch, super cool, super convenient, no problems checking out. I used my credit card to pay, the account was quick and easy to set up, and they have hundreds of selections of brand name useful things to shop for. Alice is in Beta, and I have seen finished web sites that couldn't brag like this one can. There are several ways to shop, I used the Shop By Room selection and it was very easy, it pulls up a catalog of everything they have in that category, like Kitchen. They have a good selection of products and are adding to it. You can also key in the name of what you are looking for, the pages load fast, but I have cable internet. I am disabled with no transportation and getting to Walmart to get the things I need is a huge inconvenience for me and costly, there are many areas still where it is hard to get to a super center or big grocery store, Alice fits the bill and quite nicely! Alice also has selected coupons for some things, saving you even more money, it was cheaper and easier for me to order what I needed through Alice than it was to go to the store. Alice ships within 2-3 business days. I highly recommend Alice she will save you time and money. Forget about those lines from now on! Make Alice your new personal shopper!

Seducing Swap

2009-07-31T06:49:00.000-07:00

That's right, Patrice over at The Soap Seduction put a double whammy on me! She kindly agreed to a swap with me and I hit the jackpot! First up is her luscious Lip Lush Trio, handcafted lip loving balm with a hint of color and a nice taste. Patrice does not use sweetener in her lip balm feeling it just makes us lick our lips and waste this lovely lip balm and she is right! I opted for Cherry Berry, Mango Peach Fusion, and Pina Colada. This formulation of olive oil, castor oil, beeswax, caranauba wax, candelilla wax, fragrance, lip safe colorant, lip safe mica goes on silky soft and stays on, tastes good, and makes my lips nicely moist and soft.

I also swapped for a bar of her wonderfully moisturizing cold process soap, Pinky Muskadero, a delightful mixture of olive oil, soybean oil, avocado oil, castor oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, distilled water, sodium hydroxide, oxide, and fragrance. This beautiful soap is scented with notes of jasmine, musk, and a hint of peony. I rushed to test it out and found it gave loads of creamy bubbles, scented just right and not reeking, just the way I like it, and left my skin soft and clean. All products came packaged in a pretty muslin drawstring bag, a nice touch!

I encourage anyone wanting to use premium handcrafted lip balm instead of chemical laden store bought stuff and fantastic cold process soap to rush to The Soap Seduction and shop to your heart's content, you will be happy you did! Thank you Patrice!

Holstein Heaven Hand Milled Soap with Emu Oil

2009-07-21T06:39:00.000-07:00

Just cut my batch made 7/17/2009 of all natural Holstein Heaven Chocolate Vanilla Hand Milled Soap with Emu oil. This heavenly scented olive oil soap named tongue in cheek for our lovely black and white Holstein cows is full of natural goodness and so good for the skin. Fragranced and colored naturally with pure cocoa powder and vanilla oleoresin, it is chock full of exotic butters and oils, like avocado oil, shea butter and emu oil. This soap will be ready August 7; it is curing now to get a nice gentle, long lasting hard bar of soap made to spoil your skin. You can get this soap now here!

Blossom 4th of July bow

2009-07-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

Here is my lovely dog, Blossom, a Maltese, with me now over 7 months, she is a puppymill rescue. Her fav thing to do? Recline in spoiled luxury on the soft plump queen-sized jacquard covered bed, so very different than the wire she was forced to live on 24/7 for 5 years. She deserves it and more! What an expression on her face! She is chastising me because of the camera, once put away, she was back to racing around and playing.

Edited photo courtesy of Rosemary. thank you so much Rosemary. You are an artiste.

Soy Wax Lotion Tarts

2009-07-06T04:22:00.000-07:00

I have an awesome new product! soy wax lotion tarts! What is this, you may ask? It is a 2 in 1 product: home fragrance and exquisite skin softening and warming lotion! You will not believe your eyes! Unique product. 2.5 ounce 6 individual breakaway soy wax lotion tarts, 2 products in one! Place one cube in your tea light burner or electric burner, melt and you have a delightful home fragance. Lightly dip you fingers in the melted soy wax and apply to hands, you then have the BEST lotion you have ever used with shea and cocoa butter and triple refined certified Asutralian EMU oil and the warm lotion feels wonderful on your hands. Superb for cracked dry skin and eases hurting hands with its warmth.

If you have used lotion after lotion with little to no benefit, you must try this! One cube lasts for about a week using it daily as a lotion. Soy wax is green, clean burning, and melts at a lower temperature than regular wax, no fear of buring yourself, just don't touch the bowl of the burner, it's hot! No wick to sully the wax lotion. Dye free! When possible pthlalate free fragrance oils or essential oils used, only skin safe ratios used. The best way to use this is to let it melt, blow out the tea light, or turn off the electric burner, let cool for a minute then dip away! Treat your skin special today, you will wonder how you lived without this!

You can get it at http://2VirgosDesigns.etsy.com

Moonlight Sonata Handmilled Soap with Emu Oil

2009-06-18T05:54:00.000-07:00

Just cut my Moonlight Sonata Nearly Natural Handmilled Soap with Emu oil today! 21st century grandma's olive oil lye soap without the bite. Moody, more intense Musk. Strong, unisex, heady fragrance, with notes of fern, lily, hyacinth, jasmine and a hint of orris. This fragrance is completed with a powdery and sweet amber note. Incredibly sexy, yet not too heavy or cloying. All vegetable soap with added triple refined AEU certified American emu oil for its well known healing and moisturizing properties. Includes shea butter and cocoa butter! chuck full of NATURAL goodness. NO added synthetic chemicals except for pthalate-free fragrance oil and a dab of colorant. Highly recommended for those with problem or sensitive skin. Nice hard, long lasting 5 ounce bar of soap with good cleansing properties and good suds. Taking orders now, I have 6 bars, this will need to cure for 2 weeks to harden up nicely and be extra long lasting. $6.50 a bar. Multiple discount of 15%. USPS Priority Shipping.

Ingredients: Water, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Kernel Oil, Glycine Soja (Soybean) oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Oil, Emu Oil, Fragrance, Tocopherol Acetate, FD & C Blue #1 Titanium Oxide

Cooked New Batch Handmilled Soap Today

2009-06-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

I made my first new batch today, all the better so I won't be overly fretting about my mother. I made a robin's egg blue and white marbled Moon Lake Musk Handmilled Soap with Triple Refined American Emu Oil. It smells oh so divine and hopefully will come out halfway pretty. Swirling in the mold with rebatch is difficult, it comes out more a marblized effect but still nice and two toned. I added a bit more water to this rebatch in order to get a better two toned effect. anxious to unmold it but must wait till it cools down. I will pic it when I do and see what you all think! this is what it looked like the last time I did it.

NEWSFLASH! Greening up My Line

2009-06-13T18:32:00.000-07:00

I am now offering my glycerin soaps in all natural pure soap base, the only chemicals in this true soap is the lye used to make all soap and the fragrances and FD & C colors I may add. Melt and pour glycerin soaps are not true soap, they are chemical stews, even the premium glycerin soap base I was using had them in it. Old fashioned glycerin soap is not even SOAP it is classified as a cosmetic by the FDA. It bothered me, I did keep the chemicals to a minimum but I have searched high and low in order to offer a better product that is safer and healthier to use. My NEW natural glycerin soap does not have these chemicals in it. It is true soap, pure and simple. Classified as SOAP by the FDA. The only chemicals will be the little bit of fragrance oils and colorings I add to some of them. I will be updating my sites to show this new greening of my soaps. I am proud to offer this vast improvement in my products, your skin will love it, and I will be able to do it without raising my prices much at all. Remember, it is the synthetic petrochemicals our skin hate, this new soap will be far kinder to your skin. It is a superior product and still affordable. Be kinder to your skin and body, use pure soap!

What Soap should I Make Poll

2009-06-12T23:26:00.000-07:00

I have 6 pounds of cold process soap in to make 3 2 pound batches of handmilled soap. I am wavering on what to make at first. I am leaning towards Moon Lake Musk for my first batch and perhaps one unscented batch and some more dog soap.What do you think? any requests or suggestions!

Layered melt and pour today

2009-05-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

Today I made more layered bars of Black Knight of Avalon for my Medieval fantasies series. I have 3 more to make and then my spa bags will be filled.

Sweet Swap!

2009-05-23T01:52:00.000-07:00

This April I participated in a sweet swap with Audrey'sCountryCrafts on Etsy. I swapped my handcrafted soaps to get her teal raggedy bag, handmade by her out of cotton homespun material. This good sized bag is lovingly stitched using an "X" pattern and lined with cotton batting with 2 pockets on the inside. It is large enough to hold my medical files when I go to my doctor appointments and this is great! Gorgeous and functional! Beautiful work, Audrey, I am most proud of my bag and would jump at the chance to do another trade with you. Anyone wanting something unique and handmade should rush to Audrey's Etsy store and check her out, you won't be disappointed.

Taking Charge

2009-05-03T06:34:00.000-07:00

A year and half ago I discovered soaping. I had long been trying to find a handcrafted niche that would suit me. I am an artist but my hands are being destroyed by nerve damage so i don’t do pen and ink or charcoals any more. I also have serious health problems, am disabled by it, and i am not one to sit back, worry, and await the bad. I knew I needed a creative, positive outlet to get personally involved with. I can’t knit, crochet, or draw and I stumbled upon soaping. I wish I had found it years ago. It is right up my alley: math, science, creativity, artistry, marketing, socially involving, lots of alone time, improve my own health, something I could be in charge of; everything I could ask for and more! I can’t use lye so I use premium bases to make my products. I am quite proud of them and am making the move on my glycerin melt and pour soap bases to a more natural glycerin base as my goal is to avoid synthetic chemicals in my products. I also LOVE animals, Maltese dogs in particular, and have been able to combine my love for soaping with my love for dogs in my 3 D dog breed collectibles made from soap. They’re pretty unique and I love doing them. I also handmill cold process soap and I am quite proud of it. Since using my own products my skin has cleared from the terrible itchies and rashes I have suffered from for years. Even my dog soap is all natural and my dog does not have the itchies either and I know what I am using on her is safe for I made it and i know exactly what is in it. I firmly believe the widespread infliction of skin allergies we and our dogs are now suffering from comes directly from the chemical stews stores sell us as bath and beauty products. I also believe in aromatherapy and I find lovely scents from essential oils do indeed make me and my dog feel more relaxed and happier. In some of my products I do use pthalate free fragrance oils, if it is a scent that is not found in nature or the cost of the essential oil is prohibitive. I use as little as possible and all my fragrances are used in absolutely skin safe ratios, mathematically correct, so my products will not reek, (they shouldn’t anyway) you can be assured they will be safe to use. My goal is to provide safer, more natural bath and beauty products made with luxury ingredients at an affordable price. If you have sensitive skin, or skin allergies, I urge you to get off storebought bath and beauty products and find poeple who handcraft these things, but make sure they are truly knowedgable, for natural is NOT always safer and better, expecially if one does not do the research and know what they are doing. Many crafters drench their products in scent, using NON skin-safe ratios, this is not healthy for you. Read the ingredients, read up on the ingredients so you will know what is bad for you, and switch to high quality (not necessarily high priced) handcrafted bath and beauty products. Your skin and hair will love you for it! And you will be putting more money into our community instead of fat cats’ pockets.

Feathered Friends Mementos/European Goodies Review

2009-04-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

Today I received the most wonderful surprise! My good friend Johanna of European Goodies on Bonanzle send me a pair of the most exquisite feather earrings lovingly handcrafted by Heather of Feathered Friends Mementos on Etsy. Uniquely crafted of caged blue green feathers captured in silver wire metal. Such a creative, elegant design: a perfect juxtaposition of elements: light/heavy, air/metal, animal/earth, and freedom/caged. Heather's workmanship and ingenuity are refreshing and a beauty to look on. As a bonus, I received the matching necklace, on just the right length (so hard to get) of silver metal chain. Heather handcrafts an assortment of jewelry, original artwork, bookmarks and keychains, and fine art photographs. Some of her designs utilize feathers from her beloved caique parrot, Royal, like my earrings. Beautiful work, thank you, Heather. If you want divine, one of a kind, handcrafted, keepsake items, please check out Heather's shop on Etsy.

European Goodies is owned by Johanna a wonderful German lady who has lived in the United States for 12 years and is of Koziol family fame, her father invented the snow globe and was the Ivory Carver! European Goodies features unique vintage times including genuine pre-banned old ivory jewelry and what nots, and other quality vintage items along with her own custom designed website banners like the one on my site. For quality vintage, vintage pewter, custom banners, collectibles, and other nice things, drop by Johanna's Bonanzle Shop. Thank you, Johanna!

You 2 ladies made my week!

new direction: marketing spa bags

2009-04-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday everyone! since I last blogged and told you about the retail company that flaked out on me bigtime and I had to fire leaving me stuck with bottles and bottles of lotion and shower gel and vinyl spa bags, I am going to take these around to all the local gift shops and boutiques around me. I am confidant some of them will be interested in buying these wholesale as they are unique and in a unique scent that knocks the pants off everyone and if there is enough interest I will continue to invest on my own in this spa bag venture. I am currently offering them in oh so sexy Black Knight of Avalon and they contain: one 8 ounce bottle of hand & body lotion with goatmilk, honey, & emu oil, 8 ounces moisturizing shower gel, one 4.25 ounce bar of beautifully layered Black Knight of Avalon glycerin soap, one 2 ounce bottle of dry cologne, and a bath puff or loofah. This is a men's spa bag, I am not sure what I will wholesale it for yet. OK, my wholesale price will be $25.46. They will retail for at least $38.00. I should be ready to market these by the first. Wish me luck!

Terminated New Wholesale Account

2009-04-10T06:25:00.000-07:00

2 weeks ago i had had enough and terminated my new venture with the retail company that wanted to feature my medieval product line in thier product line. After a multitude of patient emails to them trying in detail to explain the FDA laws regarding legal labeling of products for retail they kept insisting on trying to make me market my products illegally and completely ignoring my efforts at educating them to keep us both out of trouble. I am out $500, stuck with product I had no intention of investing in for myself, and am glad I found out how unscrupulous they are NOW rather than later when orders started coming in...I was going to dropship the itmes, so that meant they would be remitting payment on orders to me, I probably would not even have been paid for my products. I learned 3 valuable lessons: 1.) CONTRACT, contract, contract. 2.) Insist the retailer invest half the investment monies up front before any work is done. 3.) An exclusive contract costs $20,000 and a license must be signed. They wanted to have exclusive rights to my products, in the bath and beauty business, that is worth $20,000 to cover lost future revenue on my behalf since I would have to remove my products from my stores..Learn from my experince, get it in writing and get earnest money up front to cover your expense. any company that knows nothing about the bath and beauty business MUST follow your lead, it is your business that is on line, when the FDA levies fines, it will be YOU they levy them against if your products are not manufactured legally.

MaMere's Punkin' Pie Soap with Emu Oil and Shea

2009-03-21T02:36:00.000-07:00

Granny's wonderful handmilled cold process vegetable soap with shea butter, cocoa butter, real pumpkin with its skin nurturing caroten, vitamins A & C, and fantastic Emu Oil. Gentle at least @4.5 ounce bar with good suds. Great for your sensitive skin, contains NO artificial colors or synthetic chemicals except for a bit of skin safe pthalate-free Pumpkin Brulee fragrance oil. A delectable indulgence and perfect for any season!

Ingredients: Water, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Kernel Oil, Glycine Soja (Soybean) oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Goatmilk, Emu Oil, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin), Vanilla planifolia oloeresin, Fragrance, Turmeric Powder

http://2VirgosDesigns.etsy.com

New Wholesale account for Primo's Pawtourage Dog Themed soaps

2009-03-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

This morning a very good friend whom I get my custom incense and some fragrance oils from asked if she could feature my dog themed soaps on her wholesale site! YES and YES! suddenly, I have 2 !!! wholesale accounts! I will make less money per item but more sales therefor more money. She makes big buck compared to me and has an established customer base. We shall see. Things are happening for me and it is such a blessing and time will tell.

Gaia's Gift Patchouli Glycerin Soap

2009-03-03T09:23:00.000-08:00

Calling all hippies! Gaia's Gift Patchouli Soap. Luscious 4.25 ounce bar in a soap goddess mold. Vegan coconut oil glycerin soap, hypoallergenic. Superb for the skin! Contains powdered patchouli leaf for gentle exfoliation and genuine patchouli essential oil. Earthy, warm, spicy, yet mellow exotic scent. Dark green. Bask in the rich smell of Indian patchouli!

Ingredients: Propylene Glycol, Sorbitol, Glycerin, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Myristate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Pogostemon Cablin (Patchouli) Oil, Triethanolamine, Water, FD & C Blue # 1, FD & C yellow #5

Small orders can be shipped in a flat bubble envelope USPS 1st Class.

3 D Collectible Chinese Shar Pei soap dog

2009-02-13T04:14:00.000-08:00

Primos Pawtourage's newest addition! Just got my new 3 D Chinese Shar Pei soap dog mold in and have orders all ready! I am learning new technques with this one, dry brushing handpainted details, lots of detail since the Shar Pei is so heavily wrinkled. Getting the fawn color is challenging. the Shar Pei is an ancient dog breed, not as popular as once before, but still beloved by its fans. Statues from the Han dynasty date back to 200 BC. "Shar Pei" in Chinese means "sand skin" and they are a medium sized muscular dog weighing 45-60 pounds and extremely devoted to their family, somewhat standoffish towards strangers. Quite an interesting breed of dog and striking in appearance! Any dog lover and Shar Pei fan would love this 3.8 ounce collectible soap dog. It comes in fawn (beige), variation in color due to individual casting and handpainting detail. You can buy him here. He is about 3X # X3 X3" in size and comes varnished to protect him from moisture. Taking orders on the 3 D dog now! Primo gives his stamp of approval and Blossom just loves him! Proceeds fund my rescue of puppymill survivor Blossom.

Buttermilk Bath

2009-01-24T22:50:00.000-08:00

When I first started making milk bath I didn't know what i was doing and used non-fat instant milk powder from the store. After months of doing this I discovered I was supposed to be using WHOLE FAT milk powder: goatmilk, cow's milk, coconut milk but to get true skin moisturizing and softening one MUST use whole fat milk powder. Using non-fat milk is just like using colored water. All the skin goodness has been taken out of it. Now online, they charge ridiculous prices for this stuff, the local health food store wants $9 for 12 ounces of it! I found whole fat cultured buttermilk powder, 12 ounce can for just $3 at Walmart. I'm finding my milk bath mix now clumps when I add my essential and fragrance oils so will be adding Natrasorb to it, this will raise my price a lttle but my customers can be assured they are buying a premium product that is good for their skin and not some cheap knock off. They will be getting their money's worth on something that is luxurious and good for them and truly wonderful to soak in.

new layering of Black Knight soap

2009-01-24T22:46:00.000-08:00

This looks pretty good!

Ramblings & Blossom

2008-12-30T03:37:00.000-08:00

This is Blossom right after she throw up on my Mom's expensive sofa, see the SMUG look on her face!

After a hellish week at my mom's caretaking her post surgery I cam home and have the most miserable Xmas I ahv ever ahd, me and a can of Dinty Moore beef stew, yuck, I have never spent this favorite holiday home alone with no feast, glad it is over. I came home to check my stores and email and mom doesn't like blossom since she is not perfectly housetrained (she's a puppymill dog, of course she is not) and boy, was I glad to be home even if I didn't have any food. Blossom has plenty of good food, usual for me, my pets are always eating good. Wait till I start coking for her, she will probably stop eating dog food.

Blossom after 2 weeks with me: she no longer quakes when I pet her, she comes to me almsot evey time and lets me pet her, hates and loves having her neck scratched, I am sure she has been violently grabbed there in ther past eyars the puppymill, she jumps but oh loves it so much. I am seducing her with kindess. I see lapdog in the making!

late intro/my HCV

2008-12-19T21:47:00.000-08:00

I was dx'd in '98, 1A biopsy in 2005 Stage 3, Level 3, failed 48 week tx ifn/combo in 2005 at week 10, it almost killed me but put my blood cancer in remission for a year, which was wonderful! My symptoms are pretty severe, extreme pruitis, even my eyeballs itch maddeningly, scarred everywhere form scratching, drugs help very little and make my liver hurt more, bad liver pain much of the time, severe chronic joint, bone, and muscle pain, long migraines, high blood pressure, sugar problems, kidney stones, lost gallbladder last year, nauseau all the time, more and more meds I cannot take, no NSAIDS except tylenol products and even they are bothering me. I stay busy and try to keep a positive mind set by soaping, visiting my disabled friends and online friends and playing with my rescue dog, blossom. I got my HCV the usual way, either drugs or sex. also got hep b but my body fought it off naturally, hep c got me though.

Blossom Week One

2008-12-18T12:16:00.000-08:00

Blossom is a 6 year old purebred Maltese, who has just come from living 8 months at a blessed rescuers home with 13 other dogs. Deborah entrusted me with Blossom (thank you Deborah!) and I am honored. After one week of bouncing back and forth between my home and my mother's Blossom is doing as well as she could be expected. She misses the wee wee pads most of the time, ate her feces or tried to once, sleeps like an angel on my bed with me never making a mess, raced throughout the house nonstop for 3days then she toned it down to a trot and walk and now relaxes in the living room with me watching tv when we are not on my bed. she does not know what treats are. She does not know what going outside means. she is a lovely dog and deserves the chance at living a happy bonded life (hopefully) with a kind human (me). Her only purpose in life for 5 years was living in a tiny cage 24/7 and having puppies. Human touch hurt. she was not fed enough. I figure she made her captors at least $6000 in puppies. Then was discarded when she got an anal sac infection or got too old to breed (puppymillers do not spend money on their dogs). PLEASE buy your puppies ONLY from reputable breeders check them out! Don't buy from Petland! Are their puppies raised in a loving home environment with good health care and kind treatment? If you have TONS of patience, are kind, and have TIME consider adopting a puppymill dog from a reputable rescuer. Undo the harm that has been done in humanity's name. give a good dog a loving safe home but realize this dog may never be a huggable lap dog, they have issues, you would too if you were kept in a tiny cage for years. I love Blossom and I know in time, she will love me back the best way she can.

My Yule Present to share with you

2008-12-18T12:10:00.000-08:00

For the holidays I received 2 of the most wonderful gifts ever: my mom's tumor is benign, yippee, and I received my puppymill resue Maltese, Blossom last Thursday. I will be posting weekly about Blossom. I encourage those who have the TIME and Patience to adopt a puppymill rescue, they have received only the worst treatment humans can offer, give them the chance to be all they can be and to see that not all humans are horrible. It is our sacred duty to caretake our animal companions (and indeed all animals). Blessed Yuletide Season to everyone!

Paws of Wood

2008-11-26T17:50:00.000-08:00

I found a delightful little crafting site called Paws of Wood, they handcraft wooden signage and wreathes, and brooms and other woody things with silhouettes of your favorite breed of cat, horse, or dog. What a lovely idea! I want one! Good work, great craftmanship and originality Pat!

Midwest Crafts & Recipes soap Review

2008-11-18T11:22:00.000-08:00

Shannon at Midwest Crafts and Recipes kindly sent me an absolutely delightful bar of cold process Angels in the Garden Soap she handcrafted. It is the bar in the middle in the above photo. This is a wonderfully creamy bar of soap scented with a fruity floral combination consisting of magnolia blossoms, apple, peach, strawberry, jasmine, rose, raspberry and lavender. Simply divine with a wonderful scent "throw." The bar is silky smooth with a nice slip with the addition of jojoba and is nicely hard, creamy white with sweeping amber swirls. A pretty bar of soap crack that left my skin soft and smooth. Thank you Shannon so much, let's swap again sometime! You can find her blog here:

Ingredients: Coconut Oil, Palm, Castor, Canola, Olive Oil and jojoba...a touch of beeswax to keep that white ash from forming, Fragrance.

2008-11-12T15:08:00.000-08:00

I received a wonderful bar of cold process soap from Kelly Bloom at Bloomworks Natural Soap Company a few weeks ago and have tested it out. I tried Moon Lake Musk, one of her Elemental Soaps, and it is a delight, with good scent throw, a pretty dusky blue color, great suds, and is a nice hard smooth bar of soap. I loved using this moisturizing soap, it left my skin so soft!

Moon Lake Musk Soap: Golden Olive, Coconut, Palm Kernel, Palm, Sunflower, Soy, Babassu, Grapeseed, Rice Bran, & Castor oils; Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, & Mango Butters. Natural Herbs, Fragrance, & natural clays, oxides, ultramarines, or FD&C's for color. Net Weight: 4.5 - 5 oz

Moon Lake Musk is a moody Musk Unisex fragrance with notes of fern, lily, hyacinth, jasmine and a hint of orris and a powdery and sweet amber note. I love it! And so will you! Thank you Kelly!

MaMere's Punkin' Pie Soap with Emu Oil and Shea

2008-11-09T07:11:00.000-08:00

Granny's wonderful all natural vegetable soap with shea butter, coco butter, real pumpkin with its skin nurturing caroten, vitamins A & C, and fantastic healing emu oil. Gentle 4 - 4.5 ounce bar with good suds. Great for your skin, contains NO artificial colors or chemicals except for a bit of skin safe pthalate-free Pumpkin Brulee fragrance oil. Delectable and in time for the holidays!

Ingredients: Water, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Kernel Oil, Glycine Soja (Soybean) oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin), Fragance, Turmeric Powder

SPECIAL! With your purchase get a FREE 2 D Maltese dog soap!

Buy Here: http://2virgosdesigns.ecrater.com/