BESTeam Feature - Mossy Creek Soap

I am so excited for this week's BESTeam Feature because I have already enjoyed some of Michelle's awesome soaps!  You would think as a soap maker myself, I would have plenty of soap of my own that I wouldn't be buying other people's soaps...but I can't help myself, I just love trying other people's handmade soaps as well.  And Mossy Creek Soaps was one of my favorite treats to myself  just recently.  From the moment I received the package from Michelle and opened it up, I was greeted with a yummy smelling treat!  I ordered an 'Oatmeal & Honey" soap and a "Mocha & Coffee" soap....and "Oh my goodness!!  The smell of them together was amazing!!!" and I am still using them and can't help washing my hands often just so that I can smell them :-)

This week I am featuring Mossy Creek Soaps which is owned by Michelle. Michelle is a Certified Handcrafted Soapmaker by the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild. She has her own studio called the Mossy Creek Soap Studio in Warner Robins, Georgia where she teaches others the fine art of Handcrafted Soapmaking and Design.

Her love for soap began when she was doing home spa parties for a company that one day decided the gig was up and closed up their home division. She actually loved this company and all the things they stood for. And  it was her husband who convinced her to start making her own bath products...and the rest is history, as they say.... 

Her handmade soaps are made from scratch with olive and sunflower oils, enriched with Shea butter.  They are deliciously scented with essential oils of Lavender, Lemongrass, Rosemary, and Spearmint. Owned and operated in Georgia, Michelle takes pride in providing southern perfection in her handcrafted soaps. 

This is the Mocha & Coffee bar that I ordered and I have to say smells awesome!  I didn't see any of the Honey & Oatmeal bar that I ordered...but I am willing to bet that it will be in her shop again soon (handmade soap needs to cure for 4-6 weeks usually) as I know that this is a popular scent....so I would check back often cause that one too, I highly recommend!

Mocha & Coffee Soap

 But here are some others that look awesome...that I may just have to try as well ;-)

Lavender & Oatmeal Soap

3 Georgia Peach Soaps

And she even does Wedding favor mini soaps!  Don't these look adorable??  I would love these for my wedding!

25 Soap Favor Minis

 She even has a variety of different sized baskets available...here is just one of them...

Blooming Earth Basket

And if that all wasn't enough...she also has soy candles, gift sets, lotion sticks, body butter and some soap making supplies.  I would check it out for yourselves...you just might find something you would like too!!

You can also check out her blog at:  http://mossycreeksoap.blogspot.com/ 

I feature an etsy shop weekly as part of my commitment to the BESTeam.

We are a group of etsy artists, vintage curators and crafters whose purpose is to support and promote each others etsy business via features and mentions on our personal blog sites and any on line communities where we are involved.

If you are an etsian and an avid blogger who is serious about your shops' visibility and success, I would like to invite you to click on the BESTeam logo above to learn more about our mission, purpose and requirements.  If the BESTeam appears to be an opportunity that fits for you, please contact us and a team administrator will get back to you promptly.

BESTeam Feature - Goddess Blends

This week's BESTeam Feature is on an aromatherapy shop, Goddess Blends which carries a variety of essential oils, bath salts and mud masks.  Lilly is the proprietor of this shop and has a degree in Metaphysics and various Certifications in Holistic Energy Healing. She has studied and practice various modalities of Holistic & Spiritual Healing. All her products are handmade with pure therapeutic grade essential oils, all natural botanicals and from the purest sea salts available.

Aromatherapy is the inhalation of plant oils, called essential oils, for improved physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Essential oils are the pure essence of the plant often referred to as nature's living energy and can provide both psychological and physical benefits when used correctly.

Here is a look at just a few of the items in this shop.

Peppermint Essential Oil - Undiluted Therapeutic Grade 1/3 oz

Heart Chakra - Quan yin, Eastern Goddess of Compassion. 10 oz.

Ixchel - Blissful Motions - Mud w/Aloe 6 oz

3 Winter Aliment, Bath teas

To find out more about Lilly and Goddess Blends you can check her out on Facebook and Twitter as well as checking out her blog:
http://www.facebook.com/AncientOils
http://www.twitter.com/AncientAroma

http://livingvibrations.blogspot.com/

BESTeam Feature - Upcycle Recycle Reuse

This week's feature is on a little shop, Upcycle Recycle Reuse.  I couldn't help but be excited just by the name.  These days it seems we need to be even more conscientious about being wasteful than ever.  In my home I try to be conscious about what I use...I very rarely use paper plates and I try to always use hand towels rather than paper towels when at all possible, and recycle cans and bottles as well.  Even if everyone just does a little bit to change their life so that they waste less it would make a big difference in the world.  

Upcycle Recycle Reuse are committed to prevent wasting potentially useful materials by making use of existing ones.  Which reduces the consumption of new raw materials when creating new products.  Reducing the use of new raw materials can result in a reduction of energy usage, air pollution, water pollution and even greenhouse gas emissions. This Shop embraces Reuse and Upcycling converting waste materials into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.

They have done a great job recycling and reusing items to make some great little items.  Here are just a few that caught my eye while checking out their shop!

Grey Tabby Barn Cat Handmade Envelope - Mini

Grey Tabby Barn Cat Handmade Envelope - Mini

Birds and Spring Blooms Gift Box

Small Thank You Card

Purple Floral Gift Tags, Set of 5

Stamped Thank You Card, 5x7 (Green and White w/ Pink Bow)

 You can also check out their blog, which has a lot of great projects and tips for recycling and reusing things around your home....http://upcycle-recycle-reuse.blogspot.com/

I feature an etsy shop weekly as part of my commitment to the BESTeam.

We are a group of etsy artists, vintage curators and crafters whose purpose is to support and promote each others etsy business via features and mentions on our personal blog sites and any on line communities where we are involved.

If you are an etsian and an avid blogger who is serious about your shops' visibility and success, I would like to invite you to click on the BESTeam logo above to learn more about our mission, purpose and requirements.  If the BESTeam appears to be an opportunity that fits for you, please contact us and a team administrator will get back to you promptly.

BESTeam Feature - Knitful Dezigns

http://knitfuldezigns.blogspot.com/ Ok....I already am loving this shop...and that is just from the name....Knitful Dezigns.  I am a knitter so I always love to see what other people are knitting...so I know I am going to have fun featuring this shop!

This shop is owned by Veronica.  She loves art and according to her the world is just full of it.  And she has only just begun to dig the surface of her creativity!

Her designs are basic everyday items designed to make life a bit more enjoyable.  She loves to do custom orders, so if you have something in mind and you dont see it in her shop just ask.

Her goal is to pretty much make you happy (who doesn't love to shop somewhere like that!!), so let her know what you are looking for and she will do her best to come up with something you will love!

The first two things that caught my eye is this adorable baby hat and this cute little robin's nest!  I have 2 sisters that are pregnant and due in the early fall...I wish they were having girls so that I could give them a hat like this!

Cute hat for toddler's

And this little robin's nest is adorable!  I tend to knit a lot of toys and things so I love little miniatures things like this!

Robins nest

 And here are just a few more items that caught my eye.....

Knotty Retro Headband

BIG BOW Headband (pick your color)

Bashful Beanie in Muddy delights brown

If you like Veronica's shop and want to learn more about her you can check her out here:

Blog:  http://knitfuldezigns.blogspot.com/
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/soGracieee
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100001972549000

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I feature an etsy shop weekly as part of my commitment to the BESTeam.

We are a group of etsy artists, vintage curators and crafters whose purpose is to support and promote each others etsy business via features and mentions on our personal blog sites and any on line communities where we are involved.

If you are an etsian and an avid blogger who is serious about your shops' visibility and success, I would like to invite you to click on the BESTeam logo above to learn more about our mission, purpose and requirements.  If the BESTeam appears to be an opportunity that fits for you, please contact us and a team administrator will get back to you promptly.

BESTeam Feature - Creativity Bugs

This weeks BESTeam feature is on a little shop call The Creativity Bugs and is run by two sisters (Sandy and Sue) who have a passion for crafting.  Which is a bit funny as I have a sister Sue and my name is Sandy...and we have had our moments of creativity together and so I appreciate that these two sisters deciding to make a business out of it!  Originally they started out making gifts for family and friends and now it is turning into a business venture. 

There shop includes paper crafts & gifts, handmade cards, paper craft kits and supplies, holiday gifts, doll clothing and accessories, plus a whole lot more.

Their company motto is "lovingly creating items for others to love & cherish".  They guarantee quality workmanship, as nothing leaves their "shop" unless it has been made with 100% craftmanship mixed with creativity and a pinch of kindness and love.

Here are a few items from Creativity Bug

Red Tea Light Flower Favor

Blue, Green, and Turquoise Hummingbird Hello Card

Blue Green Yellow Flower Achieve Bank Card

butterfly thank you card - blank inside

Soothing Foot Salts with Decorative Pink Flower Gift Tag

Check out their blog at http://creativitybug.blogspot.com/ where the post crafting ideas, projects, reviews, recipes, and a whole lot more.

Get the latest news on product releases, treasuries, and featured Etsy shops on their Facebook site at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Creativity-Bugs-Crafters/165471840170137?sk=wall 

I feature an etsy shop weekly as part of my commitment to the BESTeam.

We are a group of etsy artists, vintage curators and crafters whose purpose is to support and promote each others etsy business via features and mentions on our personal blog sites and any on line communities where we are involved.

If you are an etsian and an avid blogger who is serious about your shops' visibility and success, I would like to invite you to click on the BESTeam logo above to learn more about our mission, purpose and requirements.  If the BESTeam appears to be an opportunity that fits for you, please contact us and a team administrator will get back to you promptly.

BESTeam Feature - Redemption Art

This week my BESTeam feature is on the shop Redemption Art. The owner, Connie, lives in the beautiful state of Hawaii with her husband. She has 4 children and 10 grandchildren! She has worked in the corporate world for 25 years and now admits that she is fortunate to be able to finally do what she loves...creating one of a kind hand sewn pieces and collecting vintage items.  She welcomes everyone with "aloha" and has a blog where she writes about art and artists, faith, food, friends and the Hawaiian lifestyle.  She writes that Hawaii is a great place to grow up and has played a huge part in her creativity as well as her love for "all things Hawaiian".

Here are just a few things that caught my eye.  I especially love this little vintage owl...so cute!

Vintage Resin Pueo Owl

Vintage Hawaiian Earrings

Pair of Vintage Miniature Ceramic Mime Masks

Vintage Cast Iron Asian Tea Pot

Vintage Hawaiian Hula Girl Outfit Newborn to Three Months Handmade

Honolulu Baby Handmade Hawaiian Vintage Skinny Bands

To find out more about Connie and Redemption Art, you can check out her blog, Island Buzzy, to find out what is going on in her life and is important to her.  And you can check out her second Etsy shop, featuring her handmade items at Volcano Girl Creations

I feature an etsy shop weekly as part of my commitment to the BESTeam.

We are a group of etsy artists, vintage curators and crafters whose purpose is to support and promote each others etsy business via features and mentions on our personal blog sites and any on line communities where we are involved.

If you are an etsian and an avid blogger who is serious about your shops' visibility and success, I would like to invite you to click on the BESTeam logo above to learn more about our mission, purpose and requirements.  If the BESTeam appears to be an opportunity that fits for you, please contact us and a team administrator will get back to you promptly.

Tuesdays??

What is blog worthy on this rainy (SHOCKING!) Tuesday in CT??  Well, I have to admit...not much!  I am enjoying a morning with nothing really on my schedule.  Ok...well there could be plenty of things on my schedule but I have purposely ignored those things and have enjoyed an 'almost sleep -in'....I was awake at about 6:30am but besides getting up to let my old dog out so as not to have any accidents...I just got back into bed and decided to check out some of the 'cheap' books I downloaded yesterday to my Kindle.  I got sucked into a post on Facebook about "Summer Reads" for your Kindle and downloaded about six things...all of which were either free or under like $2.  And I have to admit, at least from the one book I decided on, that they are probably 'cheap' for a reason.

I was thinking "Summer Read" when I downloaded some of them...and since they weren't that expensive I figured it couldn't hurt to download a few things,that if I were in the book store I wouldn't probably buy, even though I would picked them up because the title caught my attention. Well, I think I have learned my lesson!  One of my choices was "Diary of a Mad Fat Girl" by Stephanie McAfee...which looks to be amusing, right?!? I have to admit that I was thinking of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee who writes some entertaining knitting books ("Things I Learned from Knitting...whether I wanted to or not"  and "Knitting Rules!:  The Yarn Harlot's Bag of Knitting Tricks") when I first saw the author's name....so that is really what I was expecting.

BUT this book "Diary of a Mad Fat Girl" is probably the worse book I have ever read!  And I haven't really even read it all...I think I have gotten to chapter 17 which is only because I was hoping it might get better...but I don't think it will.  I can read pretty much anything and there are only a few books that I have put down, saying "I can not read this!"  One of which was the first Harry Potter book....but that was just because it reminded me of a little girl I knew and it sounded like she was telling me a story) and I have since made up for that by reading the entire Harry Potter series many of times.  To me it just seems like ramblings of a crazy woman?!?  Which from the title may be what it is supposed to be...but still...it's a 'book'.  I tend to expect more from a 'book' than I would if I happened to just read something someone wrote for a paper or a blog or something.  I have wanted to be a writer all my life...and was kind of hoping that all of my 'reading' skills would just somehow be enough to make me able to sit down and write....but I know it doesn't!  I think this person maybe thought the same thing...and it didn't work in her case either!!

Ok...so if you were looking for a good 'summer read' to enjoy while lying on the beach or just hanging out...I would highly suggest crossing off "Diary of a Mad Fat Girl"!

So...maybe Tuesdays should be 'Train-Wreck Book Review Tuesdays"...or maybe not....??  Let's hope there are not too many of these books out there that are going to suck me into reading them because the title caught my eye!  I think I will keep my options open for Tuesdays....