Cupboard Essentials

Sorry for the silence on this line! I've been incredibly busy with work for my English degree. My Etsy shop is currently on vacation because in July I'm going away to do a study abroad at Oxford University. I've been increasing my study of herbalism. I've expanded my herb garden and my library of herb books and have begun blending teas and making salves for what ails my family. When I harvest my herbs at the end of the summer, I'll be making some tinctures as well. Natural living and wholefood eating have definitely improved my health.
Here are a few of the things I've come to swear by in my cupboard (if I swore):
 -Honey: It's perfect for naturally and healthfully sweetening herbal teas, but it's also great for putting on cleaned cuts and breakouts to sanitize and heal.
 -Baking Soda: Perfect for making pastes for drawing stings and bites. Also a great cleansing agent for when you're making your own natural shampoos.
 -Apple Cider Vinegar: Great for cleaning anything, also a key ingredient to make natural toners and aftershave. Tasty for salad dressings too.
 - Tea tree Essential Oil: One of the best anti-fungal and cleansing oils. You don't have to dilute it to apply it to your skin on cuts and rashes.
 -Lavender Essential oil: Great to splash on your pillow in times of stress, rub on your temples to help headaches, or add to bathwater to help your whole body to release stress.
 -Licorice Root: A perfect balancing agent for nearly any herbal concoction. Once you research it, it amazes you even more. Super sweet and flavorful, helps cure what ails you.

New Tonics

I've been working on making some new recipes lately. I have a new shaving soap in my shop, a new batch of my classic Sandalwood Vanilla Beer Shave and also a new Birch and Bergamot Beer Shave soap. I haven't listed them yet, but I've made up some travel shave soap in the same scent. The soaps are poured into lidded tins, so that you can carry them in a travel case and use a shave brush to lather up.
Curing in my work room now are two tonics I'm very excited about. The first is a blend called "The Queen of Hungary's Water." It's a collection of herbs that are soaked in vinegar for 2-3 weeks. Then, you strain out the herbs and mix the infused vinegar with rose water and witch hazel. I got the recipe out of Rosemary Gladstar's lovely book, Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health. I had to make some little variations to the herb blend to accommodate what I had in store, but I have a feeling it will turn out very well. Gladstar says in her book:

"This is one of the world's finest cosmetic formulas..... The Gypsies used it as a hair rinse, mouth wash, headache remedy, aftershave, foot bath, and who
knows what else!"

I think that if I substituted 100 proof vodka or perfumer's alcohol instead of vinegar, it would make a really lovely perfume and body spray as well.

The other tonic I have curing is a variation on The Queen of Hungary's Water called "Four Thieves Vinegar." It's a mix of medicinal herbs and spices cured in vinegar that supposedly was used by thieves robbing plague homes to keep from getting the plague themselves. It can be diffused in the air or splashed on or soaked in. This takes 4-6 weeks to cure.
If it turns out well, I will make them in bigger batches and ready them for my shop and for the market in the spring. Now that I have my rookie year out of the way, I feel ready to go back to the market and really make the best use of my time there.

Stomach Trouble Tea

My father has frequent bouts of stomach ailments. To help ease him through this I make him this tea:
1 Tbs Chamomile (dried aerial parts)
3 cloves
1 cup of boiling water
1-2 tsp of honey
1 tsp of slippery elm
1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon

place chamomile and cloves (you may want to bruise them first) into a tea ball or infuser. Pour over the boiling water and let steep 3-5 minutes. After removing tea ball, add honey to taste, then stir in slippery elm until dissolved. (Note that the slippery elm may drift to the bottom if you let it sit to cool, stir up before drinking). Stir in cinnamon. Sip.

Natural Soothing Face Mask

Try my new face mask recipe:
1 tsp French Green Clay
1 tsp Kaolin clay
Gradually add Witch Hazel Toner (Thayers has a great alcohol-free, aloe enriched witch hazel I like to use) until it reaches a consistency that is appropriately both moist and thick.
For especially troubled and dry skin you can add a few drops of honey right before applying, or for a bad break out, mix in a crushed aspirin tablet while the mixture is still in powder form.

This wicks away extra oils while keeping your skin moisturized and helping with dry patches and break outs.
Treat yourself to a facial tonight!

In for the Holiday Season

I've updated my stock with more gift sets for the holiday season. My popular Sherlock Holmes inspired soaps are now available in a set called "The Complete Sherlock Holmes." The set includes Holmes, Watson, Adler, and Moriarty.

I've also made a listing for a bar soap and soap scrubbie combo pack. I knit the scrubbies myself and they fit both the square and the round soaps I sell. It's a good solution to ensure you get to use the whole bar even down to the last little bits.
I also am offering a soap and fragrance combo deal for those that like to pair up the complimentary scents I make.

Lost September

This month has flown by. I'm back to classes and extracurriculars, working hard to keep up with my Etsy shop while I do.
I'm already trying to get winter themed items in my shop and gift sets ready for the surge of sales that usually comes in October/November.
I'll be back with updates, new items, and recipes soon!

Homemade Apple Sauce Recipe

I picked a few apples today courtesy of my neighbors, a kindly older couple with fruit trees that sprout more than they can eat. I made some yummy apple sauce with my pickings and thought I'd share the recipe with you, even though it's not completely precise.
You'll need:
6 medium apples
lime juice
1-3 tablespoons of sugar or honey
cinnamon and nutmeg

Cover the bottom of a medium pot with a little water and add a splash of lime juice (or lemon if you're more traditional). Peel apples and cut them up into small pieces, as you do toss them into the pot. Simmer them on low for about an hour, stirring occasionally. When they start to get soft, use a potato masher to start smashing them down. If the apples are on the tart side, add one to three tablespoons of honey or sugar (raw sugar is my favorite) to taste. Spice it with cinnamon and nutmeg. It makes about 8 servings depending on your apples.
Serve while still warm or chill it in the fridge for about an hour.
It goes great with pork or peanut butter toast at breakfast.

Happy Anniversary Morning Valley Soaps

This week I'm celebrating my shop's 1 year anniversary! It's a few days premature, but tomorrow is my turn as the Shop of the Day on the Fun and Friends promotion team, so it seemed fitting to start the festivities early. I've prepared by listing a few new items as well as bringing back some of my classic items from last year when I was starting out.
Use coupon code ANNIVERSARY for 10% off anything in my shop this week.
My herb drying has also inspired me to start experimenting with blending teas for personal use, but who knows if it could expand?

Herb Drying for Winter

I know it it early, but the herbs have been abundant and yield better when they're trimmed, so I've started drying for winter. All summer long I've been updating my herb book, investigating natural remedies, aromatherapy, compiling all the wonderful uses for herbs and oils.
I am so interested in natural medicine and herbal remedies. The earth's abundance always amazes me. I took care of my own sinus infection a few weeks ago with teas and chest rubs. The many uses for things like lavender and geranium are incredible.
Currently I am drying peppermint, spearmint, lemon mint, lemon balm, lemon verbena, thyme, sage, tansy, and rosemary. When the days aren't too humid I hang them off of the porch to let the sun help dry them, the verbena is currently in my closet, which is warmer than the rest of my room. It perfumes all of my clothing with its loveliness. I have discovered that tending my garden and being around my herbs makes me happy. It gives me a sense of fulfillment to work with the earth and help her to grow wonderful things. I've enjoyed it ever since I was a little girl.

Expanding and Contracting

My sales have increased beyond my imaginings on my Etsy shop. Next month will be my shop's one year anniversary, so I'm trying to think of a way to celebrate.
My stock has changed considerably since I started out. I've been taking cues from my wonderful customers, what they seem to be buying, what items they buy together. Some have even sent me suggestions for what varieties they would like to see me introduce. I take inspiration from the brands of soap I see in the health food stores, new perfumes my friends are wearing, and from the scents that fill the world around me.
The moment I decided to combine two of my loves: literature and soap was a very good moment for me. Some of my most popular scents have been inspired by my favorite literary characters. That is an area I would like to expand in. Taking a cue from my lovely customers, I'm expanding my Sherlock Holmes inspired products. I've just added an Irene Adler soap and am working on a Moriarty at the moment. This winter I intend to offer a Holmes and Watson set of both colognes and soaps, as well as The Complete Sherlock Holmes which will include the fragrances and soaps for Holmes, Watson, Adler, and Moriarty.
I also need to invest in some new equipment. Earlier in the week I split of my glass bowls I use for perfumery. I submerged it in cool water too quickly and two clean halves emerged after I heard a pop. While getting rid of it, I slashed open my finger on the edge.
Eventually, I'd love to have my own distillation equipment, I could make my own essential oils and extracts. I'll have a coupon next month in honor of my anniversary and as a thank you for my loyal friends and customers!

Blog Feature

I'm in a blog feature today! It's by StitchSilly and it's on her site here.
She very kindly conducted an interview with me yesterday and posted about it today. Hopefully it will up the traffic on my blog, it's been a little slow this month, comparatively. Even my market night last Friday wasn't as nice as my June market night. Oh well.
Check out her blog, she's a fellow Etsian and is just starting her series of features.

Painting for the Market

I'll be at the farmer's market again this weekend. Last time I was there I noticed that I was one of the only venders with no sign with my business name on it. I found some old signs and took to sanding and repainting one. I'm no artist, but I think that for now it will do. A somewhat homespun look is good in my line of work anyway.
Before:

After:

Hopefully it will help draw people into my tent and help me move some merchandise. I'll report back next week with how it went.

Beautiful Things

I had my first real live market day on Friday. I enjoyed being out in the fine weather (even if the wind did endanger my tent). It was a very community oriented event, so I was able to speak with many friendly local people. I even sold a decent amount of my soaps-- especially considering that there was another soap seller there with a bigger spread.
I'll be going back in July to sell again.
Right now I'm still working on my custom order that will be sent out the end of the month and trying to promote as much as possible.
Speaking of promoting, today's featured HEART Seller is temmadolla. She's from Pittsburg and she makes the most amazing safety pin bracelets I've ever seen. Here's one of my favorites from her shop:

Definitely check her out.

AndiaCreations on Etsy

This seller from Yorkshire, UK is a member of the HEART promotion group I'm in. Her shop is full of cute knitting and sewing. Find her here on Etsy. Above are just two of her items that struck my fancy.

Custom Order Project

I just recieved a custom order for 80 mini shave soaps for wedding favors. I'm so excited. This is, of course, my biggest order to date and will keep me busy for the month of June even if the Farmers' Market falls through, which I fear it might.
It has also given me the idea of creating listings for, instead of the occasional gift set assortment of soaps, listings for favors or wedding party sets. Some herbal soap would make a lovely bridesmaid/groomsmen gift. The summer is a peak wedding season, after all.

Farmers' Market Evening

Tonight I went to one of the local markets I'm attempting to sell at. It's on the grounds of this beautiful garden center. It was lovely to wander around and talk to vendors. In a small hutch is a counter where fresh fish and meat are sold and a few tables from a local bakery. I had my heart set on some scallops, but $28 a pound was too steep for me. Instead I bought a foccacia and a few little meat pies from the baker.
I spoke to the woman who coordinates the market. She told me that there is a soap-seller coming this summer, but not every week. She promised to send me a list of dates when the other seller won't be there so we don't overlap. I brought a few items to show her what I make and she especially liked my "Nymph" solid perfume.
It's a wonderful atmosphere and I'll be glad to get involved.
My father came along with me since he had never been to the market before. He enjoyed himself and even saw an old friend he went to school with but hasn't seen in years. Afterwards we went to dinner at a nearby bar and grill and ate on the porch to enjoy the beautiful evening.
It's the kind of evening that makes me feel very connected to my heathen Celtic ancestors that worshipped the return of the sun and the spring. I can understand their raptures.

Summer Soaping

Sales have been slowly increasing in my shop for the past few months, but over the past two weeks they have exploded. Of course, exploded is a relative term, I'm sure it's all in a day's work for other Etsy sellers.
This reinforces my decision to not take an hourly waged job this summer but focus on my crafting and freelance writing. Of course, this also means alot more upkeep to my shop than I had been previously spending. More time each day making new items, photographing, organizing, storing, ordering supplies, working on my Etsy, etc.
All the promoting and creating new sorts of products and scents seems to be paying off. My choice to go with more masculine/unisex items is paying off. It's a good feeling.
I'm still working on getting into some farmers' markets this summer as well to sell live and connect with other artisans.
I also just had a request for a custom order last night. It will be the biggest order I've ever filled and will keep me quite busy. Even if I don't get any other sales next month, I'll have reached my sales goal with this order.
Off to make more aftershave!

Sulfate Free Shampoo Recipe

We put out a special earth-day issue of our college paper and I contributed this shampoo recipe. I thought you might enjoy it as well-- it gets my hair very clean without drying it out. I personally use Calendula as my herbal steep base.

3 oz. Herbal steep
1 tsp. Baking Soda
½ tsp. Vegetable Glycerin
¼ tsp. Jojoba Oil (optional)
6 drops Essential Oil (optional)


Pour boiling water over three teaspoons of herbs of your choosing. Chamomile is best for blondes, Calendula flowers help bring out red tones, Rosemary for dry scalps. Green tea is also an excellent choice for a general clarifying wash, and Lavender can benefit damaged hair. After the water has mostly cooled, strain out three ounces into a glass measuring cup. Dissolve your baking soda before adding glycerin (available at craft and health food stores).
Put your creation into a bottle or container with a secure lid. For dry hair or scalps, you can add jojoba oil or a few (very few) drops of olive oil. Various essential oils can also be added for various benefits and also their potent fragrance. However, essential oils may be too strongly concentrated for women who are nursing or pregnant.
Afterwards you can rinse with remaining herbal steep combined with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.

New Additions to my Soap

Two new herbal milks soaps have arrived in my shop. First, a Lavender Lemon soap:And second, a Rosemary Mint soap:

I wanted something soothing an herbal for spring. They both smell wonderful in spite of, or perhaps because of, their simplicity and purity.

I've also listed a customizable perfume in my shop . Choose one of 14 essential oils to create your own Single Note All Natural Solid Perfume. Sales are finally starting to pick up, so I've been working on fresh batches of my best sellers as well as new fragrances and botanical blends. I've accumulated a notebook full of my recipes and research. This weekend I'll be listing a new Beer Shave Soap with vanilla and sandalwood fragrance. I've also been experimenting with all natural deodorant recipes. What would you like to see in my shop?

Happy Birthday Colt .45

On Tuesday it will be the 100th birthday of the Colt .45-- my father, an antique weapons enthusiast has informed me of this. His influence has already lead to the creation of my most popular fragrance, "Rifle Range"-- available in Soap and also Solid Cologne.
In honor of this anniversary I will be putting those items on sale in my shop on Monday and Tuesday. Although the Colt .45 was for military use and didn't use the black powder charge, Colt did produce some single shot cowboy pistols that did. I think it will be a fun thing to do in the spirit of the occasion anyway.
So look for the discount early this coming week!