I Smell Amazing Right Now! : Things I Buy On Etsy #4

I know this may be a case of TMI (too much info) and you may not care about what I smell like, but I wish you could smell me through the computer because damn I smell good! If the fact I am writing about how I smell is creeping you out I understand, I will not be hurt if you click away...


Oh good you’re still with me. Ok so the reason I smell so awesome is this fabulous handmade soap found here: www.crownofrue.etsy.com

Now I know what you are about to say; “but how can I buy soap off the Internet? I can’t smell it, how do I know I will like it?” Trust me, you will like it. Just do what I did. Read through her list of soaps and the descriptions. Pick the one you think you might like the most and buy a bar. I decided to try the Vanilla Oak (pictured above) one of her most popular bars and I read her description:

“Not only does it make you smell incredible, it cures a crappy day, makes you feel like you've spoiled yourself for a change, and is known to induce romance.”

I will just say that in my experience this is a true statement and I will leave it at that. I quickly declared this to be my favorite soap. It is Vanillay, spicy, earthy, sexy, smell that I can’t even properly describe. Then a little while later I decided to buy some of her soap to give as gifts to my friends. I tried to think about what they would want and ordered a bar of the Cucumber and a bar of the Gardenia. Both smelled amazing, and I had to really talk myself into giving them away as planned. I came very close to keeping them for myself, but I was a good girl and gave them to my lucky friends who LOVED them by the way.


Since then I also tried the Orange Blossom and Magnolia and said, “Now this is my new favorite!” and was torn between wanting to smell like the vanilla oak and loving the orange blossom. That is until today, when I opened the Lakeshore (pictured above). I seriously can’t stop smelling myself right now! It’s fresh, beachy, a little floral, again hard to describe; you will just have to order a bar and smell it for yourself. Her soaps are all handmade, using only quality ingredients. The soaps come in guest sizes all the way to large bars. Along with an amazing variety of soaps you can also find lotions and perfume oils in her shop. I haven't tried these yet, but you can bet I will soon!


Now if the fabulous soaps weren’t enough, she also makes fabulous jewelry! She has a variety of necklaces, earrings and stemware bangles too. She is a crafting machine!

I am still not done... She also makes awesome magnets! I know right? Does this woman sleep?? I have purchased her magnets for myself and as little gifts for friends. Not only are her magnets pretty, and fun, they are also really well made and strong. I have my eye on these right now:


But wait…I am still not done! Her latest shop addition: Fabric!


“I have recently acquired some of my Mom's fabrics from her stash. After 70 years of sewing, hundreds of weddings, countless needlepoint projects and as head costume designer for over 50 plays, musicals and operas she has accumulated quite a bit of fabric, notions, trims, laces, yarns and other items which I will be listing here.”

So if you are looking for handmade gifts, or something to pamper yourself with, or fun fabric, Crown Of Rue is a one-stop shop! Go check it out and good luck making a decision with so much fabulousness to choose from. Let me give you a tip: you really can’t go wrong it’s all awesome.

The First Clip-on Ornament

I love making my little birdies, but I am afraid that some folks may not know what to do with them. I am OK with putting something pretty on a shelf, but know that many people want a more functional piece of decor. So here it is, my first clip-on ornament! I bought alligator clips used for electrical work at the hardware store, then bent the end so it can be shoved up into the bird body. (That just doesn't sound right I know, but I don't know how else to describe it)
I made sure to glue the clips in place with 2 part epoxy. Those suckers are not going anywhere!



Then I did my usual beading process, and made a silver heart for the birdie's chest.



I also got a new signature stamp for my silver tag on the bottom. I feel like it is a much cleaner and more professional look. I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out, now one down 5 more in the works!

Do It: Things I Buy On Etsy #3

Ok I am fully aware that what I am about to tell you may cause you to stop following me and possibly make you a bit ill, but here is my morning routine:

My husband wakes up at about 5:30, I think. There is no way to know for sure as I am still very much asleep. He tries not to make too much noise and wake me up while he gets ready for work, bless him. At about 6:45 I wake up to the sound of the coffee grinder, and after a few minutes I will grab my phone from the nightstand and with one eye slightly open, I check the time. Now here is the worst part, while my husband is making his lunch in the kitchen, I text him one word: COFFEE. A few minutes later he comes down the hall with my coffee (1 ½ packets of Stevia and a splash of 2% milk) in my favorite mug with my favorite mug cozy. I know, I am the worst sort of princess; lazy and demanding, but he does it, so what does that say about him? (Don’t tell him I said that)
I spend the next several minutes propped up in my bed with pillows sipping my coffee, checking email and planning my day. What is a better motivator than a good cup of coffee first thing in the morning? A cup of coffee that tells you to Do Epic Shit!



This is knotworkshop and one of my favorite shops on Etsy. She calls herself a hooker, and man what a hooker she is! I imagine she can crochet in her sleep, and her fingers must be worn down to the nubs. In her shop you will find a plethora (yeah that’s right, I said plethora) of mug cozies, ipod cases, gloves, scarves and more. Her work is not just funny, smart, and bright, it is also very well made. Knotworkshop is a quality hooker folks. So go check out her shop ASAP and give your cup of coffee a makeover and maybe, just maybe, you will Do Epic Shit on a daily basis just like me.



http://knotworkshop.etsy.com

Controlled Chaos?

Nope, out of control total chaos. This is my studio space, and if cleanliness is next to Godliness well I guess I am rubbing elbows with good 'ol Lucifer right about now.
I heard myself talking to my friend on the phone yesterday while trying to find something on my work bench:
"I swear I don't know how it got this bad, it just sort of happened." As soon as the words came out of my mouth I knew who I sounded like. I sounded like every single person on every episode of "Hoarders". They all say the same thing: "I don't know how this happened, I just woke up one day and it was like this", and as my pal Lucifer over here is quick to point out, that is a total lie. I know exactly how it got this way, I got busy and I got lazy. He would also like to point out that Martha Stewart would never let this happen. Man he can be a real jerk sometimes!


So this is my studio and my main workbench which you can't even see under all of the stuff, I don't even have space to really work anymore, and do you want to know what the worst part is? Much like many of the hoarders on TV, once my hoard got to out of hand and I ran out of room to work, I moved my chaos to another location!



You have seen it before with a particularly bad hoarder...the house is packed and you think "wow it doesn't get much worse than that!" and then it does. The hoarder admits they have a second house packed to the rafters. Well my hoard has now migrated into the house and onto the dining room table. This is how it starts people! Pretty soon I will stop going into my studio all together. I will simply walk away and like the first hoarder house I will pretend it does not exist. It will quickly become a home for spiders, opossums, and the occasional hobo. I killed a black widow in there yesterday, so it already well on the way.
Now is the time for me to admit this is a problem and stop it before it gets worse. Much like the "certified organizer" lady who walks in to a hoarder's home with that deer in headlights sort of look on her face... you my reader are witness to my issues. I will be cleaning up my act, and hopefully posting pictures of a beautifully clean and organized studio soon. Or I am all talk and nothing will change, if that is the case...pretend this post never happened.

Things I Buy On Etsy #2

About seven years ago we threw an awesome party for about 170 people. We had a live band, plenty of home brew beer, and amazing food…Oh yeah, and we got married. I have a big family and we are all really close, so it was a given that my wedding would be no small affair. I thought it was important to spend money on what mattered; food, booze, and a band. I had no idea that the flowers would be such an issue. The poor little hamster running the squeaky wheel in my head had to work overtime, but I finally realized, all of those people would have to sit somewhere. That meant lots of tables…and all of those tables had to have centerpieces. So after adding it up I went to the florist with the number of centerpieces I would need and she gave me a ballpark figure for how much that would cost… Then the hamster fainted.
This is where Hydrangeas come into this rambling story…see I do have a point! We decided to use one large hydrangea for each center piece, yes they were inexpensive, but in the end the tables looked so beautiful I could not imagine doing anything else. Naturally I now have a special place in my heart for hydrangeas. When I saw this necklace in Candice’s shop I just had to have it.



Every time I wear it I think of my wedding day, I know..awwwww. Her jewelry is just beautiful and the quality is outstanding. Here is a little quote from her profile:

"I love to hammer, shape, connect, patina, and texture metals. I purchase most of my findings such as wire and raw brass chain. I then put my own patina on it, make my own headpins and earwires. I love working with fine silver, forming it and fusing with a torch. Then comes the real fun of designing something with it!"

Not only does she make exceptional jewelry, she is also a great pleasure to work with. She has a wonderful selection of earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, and more. Go to her shop and check it out right now…hurry…I’ll wait.



http://www.etsy.com/shop/candies64

Ohhhh Christmas Treeeee

It’s quite possible this will be my last blog post. If you don’t hear from me in a few days it’s safe to say my husband smothered me in my sleep and this post will become “exhibit A” during his trial. Why would my loving hubby try to kill me you ask? It may have something to do with humming Christmas carols in July..and the jury just sided with him.
“Not Guilty your honor, she had it coming. This man has been punished enough”

In my defense, I have to start making my Christmas ornaments now since they take so long to make, and I want to have a lovely assortment of holiday cheer in my Etsy shop this year. Sitting here making beaded ornaments takes me right back to Christmas crafting with my Grandma, and that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. So as I break into yet another round of “Oh Christmas Tree” I'll let all the fond holiday memories flow through my mind. I’ll just be sure to sleep with one eye open.

Oh Christmas Treeeee Ohhhh Christmas Treeeee....something something... La La La

Is Something Burning?

A while back, I woke up to a typically beautiful sunny Ojai morning. My son was still asleep (miracle) and I was looking forward to sipping my coffee and enjoying the rare quiet time to myself.
As I walked down the hall toward the kitchen I caught a faint whiff of smoke. My heart jumped and I rushed into the kitchen to find the source. Did my husband leave something on the stove then go to work? Wait…he doesn’t cook. I checked all of the appliances, but nothing was burning. “Maybe I'm having a stroke.” I said to myself (yes I talk to myself…don’t judge). Without finding a source of the smoke I went back down the hall to peel back the layers of blankets on the bed so I can find the dog, and force her to get up and go out. We walked back down the hall (she gave me major stink-eye the whole way) back to the kitchen. I shoved my irritated dog out the door, and again I could smell something burning! It was much stronger and I started to panic, what could I be missing? I sniffed every inch of the kitchen like a deranged rabbit...nothing.
I decided to move to the dining room. Nothing looked out of place. The sun was shining on the big dining room table and my bead work was still sitting there from the night before. I decided to bring the piece I was working on inside so I could work late without freezing to death in my little garage nook..er...artist’s studio. Of course the cat decided that my work cloth on the dining room table was the perfect spot to take a nap in the sun. For obvious reasons, he is not allowed on the table (I don’t really like cat hair in my breakfast cereal) so I stalked over ready to give him a piece of my mind. As I got closer I noticed the magnifying glass/light I use to see all of my teeny tiny beads was still on the table...in the direct sun...positioned over my sleeping cat...and his butt was smoking!!!
The worst part was, Geronimo or "Geri" (pictured above), the laziest cat on the planet was still asleep! I pushed the magnifying glass out of the way and smothered the smoking spot with a cloth. Finally, Geri woke up with a start, and glared at me as if to say, “look lady I am trying to sleep here” to which I replied, “Well your ass was on fire so...your welcome”. I think if he was capable of giving me the finger right then, he would have.
Later I called my mom and told her how I nearly set the cat on fire, and she reminded me:
“Well you remember when Maniac (our cat) sat on my plate of two-part epoxy and your Father had to cut the plate off his rear. Cats and crafts don’t mix”

True that.