I Opened My New Etsy Shop

I've finally opened my own Etsy shop and it's up and running TODAY. The name of my new store is: Keeps Me Sane..because doing these crafts is the only thing that's keeping me sane with all this craziness in my house.

I make Friendship bracelets, yes they are back..with a focus right now on FOOTBALL season..I'll do customize any colors you want. Here's my UNC bracelet.

I also do beaded ones as you can see from the photos. In the fall I'll have my loom knitted scarves up too.

So, I thought I'd have a kickoff giveaway since I've never done one before. So, if you'd like your own custom friendship bracelet you need to do two things:

1. Follow my blog

and

2.Leave a comment on the blog with the colors you want and the pattern (diamond, chevron, plain old stripes).

I'll pick a winner on August 31st using a good old fashioned method. Spread the word and let's get it on!!!!

A Little More Salt Please

You all know that I can't deal with bubble bath and basically use bath salts exclusively. I found another great bath and body shop on Etsy and just love the bath salts she sells.

I've been buying all my bath salts lately from KimberQuinn on Etsy. Not only are they top quality, but the price is very nice too! There are many pleasing fragrances to choose from in her store and I favor the Pink Romance and the Amber, Vanilla Sandalwood scents. The salts themselves are all the good kinds you expect from a top quality products (like those expensive ones in Target) like Dead Sea Salts and Mineral Salts. Even though they are pretty chunky, the salts dissolve very quickly in the bath. There is coloring in these, but not enough to color your water which is just what I like.

Remember, bath salts help your body let loose some of those toxins and helps to relax your muscles. I thoroughly enjoy a good soak in a good warm bath with my bath salts. KimberQuinn's are some of the best I've come across, on Etsy or even in the retail stores. I don't know if she plans on continuing the sale, but right now , like today, you can get a 4 oz. bag for $2.95..regularly $4.95. I just bought 3 bags the other day..I think I've already used 2 lol. You know me, quality is number one and price is number 2. These salts are very good quality and I think you will agree.

Oh, if you are curious as to why I can handle bubble bath anymore, feel free to email me or comment here.

Just Too Cute to Pass Up

I've been coming across some mighty cute stuff on etsy lately. It just amazes me that there is just sooooo much talent out there. I sometimes get overwhelmed. But, finding cute stuff is always fun.



I just bought this for my friend for her birthday (Happy Birthday Kate) and since I gave it to her today I can post the photo lol..didn't want to post it before she got it. Ok, this is Shenanigans. He's a SocKat To Me cat from SocKatToMe on Etsy. Yes, the cat is made from a sock. My friend's favorite color is yellow but I didn't see any yellow cats listed. I made an inquiry to Jenny of SocKatToMe and she found a yellow and blue argyle sock in her sock stash. So she made this one for me custom. I just love everything from the mismatched button eyes to the tongue hanging out. Even being a custom order, Shenanigans cost me the normal SocKat price of $16. I almost kept him for myself....hint hint my birthday is at the end of April and I would love a SocKat (with the tongue hanging out).


I also came across these tiny critters from Asher Jasper on Etsy. I think I was entering a blog contest or something, can't remember but these little felted animals are just really cute. My favorites are the Mom and Baby Ladybugs. There are bumblebees, sheep, birds, bears..heck even the Spider is cute. They run $4.50 for tiny ones or $15 for a 3" larger one. You can buy pairs or a lot of 10 but that will cost you more. My ladybug friends are $20 for the two.




These are edible cuties. I came across these just randomly shopping on Etsy. I have yet to try them but I do plan on it (just waiting for some survey money to come in lol). This is what I would call Edible Art from Visualicious on Etsy. There's these BonBons pictured here and there are candy jewelry creations as well. This is a fairly new Etsy store but with things this cute (and they sound very tasty) I'm sure we'll see more. The pack of 6 BonBons I have pictured here are $15. You get 2 of each flavor: gourmet fudge, flavorful almond marzipan, and guava-raspberry fruit filling. You can also get a 3 pack, one of each flavor, for $5.



I know that these are "luxury" items and not necessities. But, I think they are adorable and they make me smile. I hope they make you smile too.

All Wrapped Up with a Pink Bow..Literally!

You all know by now that I'm a sucker for lotions, body butters and the like. The fluffier (and more moisturizing), the better. Well, with the Pink Bow Bath Boutique (also has an Etsy store) you get all that, plus a lil girly girlness.

Amy over at Pink Bow knows how to appeal to the female bath and body nut (like myself). She's got a whole bunch of fresh, feminine scents and like I state in my title, it's all wrapped up with a pink bow.

I had gotten several samples in an order I had placed for Xmas gifts, in the Lemming Central box and Amy sent me some samples to try out as well. First off, I'm very impressed with the fragrances. You know I love Pink Sugar and Amy has quite a few nice Pink Sugar Blends. Her Pink Sugar Noel is grand. But, my favorite of hers so far isn't even a Pink Sugar blend (could it be possible). The Pink Passionfruit Lemonade is really really divine. Even my oldest son, who is picky picky with everything told me it smelled good. The scents are just the right strength. They're strong but not overpowering as you know some can be. And, they last a pretty good long time. They are definitely above average in their staying power.

I've tried the whipped body frosting and the body frosting with shimmer. I like the shimmer body frosting..it's not full of "glitter" as I have exerienced with other "shimmer" lotions. It's got just the right amount of pearly golden goodness to give you a lil glow. The body frosting sinks into the skin nice and easy. It's good and whipped up but it's not heavy or greasy. Great all around moisturizer...plus all those yummy scents.

Amy also sent me a sample of her protein hair mist. A very nice little product that helped me smooth out my winter frizz. A little goes a long way and I recommend you stick to your ends..do not use it in your scalp....you'll end up with greasy looking head (this will happen with any hair product of this type no matter who makes it..trust me though I've tried so I know what I speak of).

Pink Bow Bath Boutique has a very very large selection and you can also get holiday gift sets right now. Gift sets range in price from $6.50 to $19. The Body Frosting will run you $6.75 for a 4 ounce jar and $4.25 for a 2 ounce jar. The prices are very reasonable (prices range from $4 to $19 depending on the product or gift set) and the quality is very good.

Amy was also kind enough to give my readers their own coupon code. So, to sav 10% on your purchase, just use the code "10%off". Time is running out to get things in time for Xmas and Amy is recommending purchase this weekend for a 12/16 shipping date so you can get it in time. If you've got a lady in your life, young or old, I can guarantee there is something here that will be enjoyed!

I Touch Roses, They Touch Me

There is such a myriad of handmade bath and body products out there, that it can almost drive you mad. This includes the new trend in handmade mineral makeup. I'm always up for trying new things, otherwise where would my blog go, so I tried a relatively new B&B site on etsy called I Touch Roses.


Ahna of I Touch Roses is taking a turn from her other etsy store, a jewelry shop called Art Created, and is trying her hand at cosmetics and bath & body. Ahna sent me a variety of samples from her cosmetics shop..several mineral eye shadows, mineral foundation, soap in Haunted scent, incense, a sample vial of her Soul Mate perfume and a sample of her Skin Euphoria Cream.





She sent me mineral foundation in her Rapture shade. Now, Ahna does not know me or the exact tone of my skin, however, this shade is perfect for my skin tone. It absolutely blends in and creates a really nice, smooth finish on my skin. I've tried a few other handmade mineral foundations and Ahna's ranks high on my list. It didn't cake on or create powdery spots, it created a nice smooth finish that even I can be proud of (ok, I have issues lol.) She's got 5 different foundation shades, as seen in this picture on the left, and a 40 gram jar will run you $16.50. This is actually a very good price for that much mineral foundation. Oh, and you get a puff too :-)





As far as Ahna's mineral eyeshadows...there are alot of bright and playful colors. As you can see by her color list in this photo on the right. With my fair skin and blonde hair..bright colors and really really dark colors have never worked well for me. However, I found that the purple shade she sent me, called Passion, worked really well for me as an eyeliner. I wet my brush and worked in around the powder and got a really nice dark purple shade of eyeliner. It looked even better when paired with a lighter brown shadow like the one she sent me calledContent. They eyeshadows run $7.77 for a 10 gram jar. If you like to experiment with your colors, I think you'll be in heaven with Ahna's palette.

Aside from the mineral makeup, Ahna's Skin Euphoria Cream is wonderful. There's an amazing 17 different moisturizers in this lotion, I beleive that's the most I've ever seen. Here's the list of ingredients for the unscented Euphoria cream:
distilled water
coconut butter
avocado butter
olive butter
aloe butter
evening primrose oil
shea oil
coconut oil
avocado oil
hemp oil
apricot kernel oil
sweet almond oil
olive oil
vit. e oilc
amelina oil
raspberry oil
glycerinpolysorbate 20 - from olive oilconditioning emulsifiers
soy protein
soy milk
isopropyl myristate - to reduce oily feeling





It just flows onto the skin and instantly hydrates. It did not leave any greasy or Rain X type feeling on the skin. The cost of having Skin Euphoria will be between $12-$14. The Skin Euphoria Soap (which I got in Haunted) is just as good as the lotion. I'm usually not into heavily perfume scented soaps, but this is the exception to my rule. This soap lathered up more than other soaps I've tried and the scent stayed true..you know how some scents just disappear when you lather up...and you just get a "soap" smell leftover. Not with this soap. Plus, it just left my skin feeling soft and clean. $6.75 for the soap




If you're looking for a bit of change and some really well made bath & body/mineral makeup products....try out I Touch Roses.

Scrabble Anyone?

Lately, I've been on this recycled Scrabble Tile kick. There are so many artists that are turning old Scrabble tiles (or small Scrabble Tile sized tiles) into unique, creative pendants. There are so many uniques images and artwork that you have a plethora to choose from. Of course alot of these pieces can be found at Etsy stores. Here are a few that I have gotten pieces from..some are having some good sales right now so you could get a head start on some Xmas shopping if you wanted to. :-)

Sun Petals' shop has a really good mix of Vintage, abstract and artistic images on her tiles. Right now there are over 20 different Vintage images ranging from classic Alice in Wonderland to birds and ladies. I personally like the more abstract images with just simple colors and some less abstract images like this flower that's just to be seen at a different angle. The flower can only just been seen and the focus is on the stem and leaves. I just like it and I'm going to get it.. The colors are something I don't often wear in jewelry.

In this photo you can get a good feel for the variety of images that Sun Petals has. Right now she is having a Holiday sale. You can get 4 pendants of your choosing with chains and gift tins for $30. Or you can get just one pendant w/chain and gift tin for only $7.95. Or, just the tile pendant for $5. Go on, get the 4 pack..you'll kill 4 Xmas birds with one shopping trip.

Another Etsy store where you can get these tile pendants is Jesse Janes. You can also get some good deals there too. Halloween tiles are just $3 right now. All other Scrabble tiles and Bamboo tiles are Buy 2 get one Free (chains are sold separately). I recently got this cool Halloween pendant called Pumpkinhead. I'm getting alot of people telling me it's cool. I take that as a compliment. I feel I am cool with the things I get from Indie etailers

:-) Jesse Janes has all kinds of artwork from Vintage to abstract to kitchy sayings to cute animals to holiday images.

Here's an abstract piece that I really like and the other photo is a grab bag photo of various Jesse Janes tiles.

The last Etsy store that I have found that sells tile pendants (now these aren't old Scrabble tiles but they are in that nice square shape) is Bee Dazzles Pendants shop. Bee Dazzles uses her own artwork (which you can buy the original artwork, prints or stationary at her other stores). I really enjoy browsing thru Bee's work, especially the nature/tree themes..the colors just pop out at you but are so tranquil in their combination. Bee's square tile pendants range from $11-$16 and you can get them in Mini (1 inch) or Large (1.25 inches).

This gorgeous Autumn Maple Leaves pendant is the one I just got last night. This one runs for $13 and I can't wait to get it.

This other one is called Tranquility and I must say out of all of Bee Dazzle's artwork, this one is my favorite. This is the one with the colors that just pop at you but, like it's name, it is just so tranquil.

Bee also has heart shaped, bird shaped, flower shaped and fish shaped pendants that are all handpainted.

So, I just gave you an easy way to get some Xmas shopping done fast. The links are there, the rest is up to you :-)

Baubles of Mine

I know, it's been awhile..and I'm sorry. With all my PTO duties, I've been sidetracked. Plus, last week was my 10th Wedding Anniversary and hubby had a beautiful day planned last Saturday.

Anyway, I've been acquiring some new baubles for my ears lately. Be it a purchase or finding a delightful Etsy SNS Secret. I'm really enjoying finding all these wonderful pieces of jewelry and I'm getting some great sales too. Alas, some of these sales are over but if you're an Etsy shopper..you need to peruse the "Promotion" section of the forums. That's where I find out about all these wonderful sales/contests etc. Today is Saturday and starting at 5pm you'll find the SNS sale thread on the Promotions forum.

One of the awesome sales I had found was a BOGO, buy one get one free, on earrings at Lilly Queen's store on Etsy. These one's on the left are Scroll & Berry cluster earrings. Pretty scrollwork and the maroon glass pearls set off the metal nicely. The other pair I bought were these on the right side and they're called Pina Colada. It's pretty white & honey jade on brass. I'm trying to find earrings of different colors, styles etc to go with any of my outfits. Just like a girl, isn't it.

I was able to pick these two beauties for only $9 YES FOR BOTH!

Prices for earrings at Lilly Queen are from $15 to $23. I actually like the simplicity of the designs. The colors and styles are simple, yet classic in design. Nothing too outlandish but just right.

This next pair of earrings I got are from Strands of Light on Etsy. These were a SNS Secret item. For those of you unfamiliar with the SNS secret...you can get one secret item per week and they generally are free or just the cost of shipping. You have to search through the store's listings to find the phrase "SNS Secret" or "Secret" somewhere in the listing. These I really like. The vintage glass beads hang from a copper ring on sterling silver. The glass beads are white with flecks of painted color. They are smaller in person (I was actually concerned they might be too big from the picture) but they are sweet and dainty. These earrings cost $23 normally. Earrings at Strands of Light range from $20-$30. If you like this style that I got, there are a few there right now that are very similar..just different beads.

These dainty lil gold ones come from Amanda Mackay's Etsy Store (she does have her own website with more jewerly). We've got glass pearls, crystal beads and freshwater pearls and gold-plated ear hooks. As you can see the pearls/beads are in varying shades of blue. These are very dainty and very feminine. They are very light on the ears (which I like cause my ears hate me if I wear anything too heavy) and easy to wear. Amanda's Etsy earrings run from $8 to $30 and there are some there now, similar in style (different colors, metals) to these that I have. These were another SNS secret I had found but originally cost only $6.

There are just so many options on Etsy! I spend hours just "window" shopping there. You can always find something new on Etsy.

Pleasant Under Glass

Ok, so I've been on a jewelry kick lately...sorry so sue me :-)

My most recent acquisition is from Under Glass on etsy. And, let me tell you this is one of the most unique jewelry stores I've come across. The necklace I got was this beautiful Snowflake on a blue background. It looks large in the picture but it is actually very dainty. Carol-Ann, the artist of Under Glass, placed the digital image of the snowflake under a thick, glossy coat of resin. The result, naturally, makes it look like it's (sorry bad pun here) Under Glass. The pendant has these black and white stripes around the sides and as simple as they are, they add depth to the pendant. It hangs on a silver plated chain...(I usually prefer Sterling Silver but the silver plated chain is actually much brighter than most of my Sterling. ) There are many other snowflake pendants on Carol-Ann's site that are just as or more intriguing than mine. They run $24 and are really little pieces of art.

And, there aren't just the snowflake necklaces at Under Glass. Carol-Ann makes another kind of series of necklaces called Reliquary Pendants. They are basically glass tubes in which she will place an inscription on and some sort of design on it. Inside there are coordinating glass beads that will roll freely inside. Some hang horizontally on the chain or vertically with some added glitz like the one I have shown here called Garden Girl. The Reliquaries go for $29.

And, it's not just the jewelry that caught my attention. When I got my package in the mail, the presentation Carol Ann makes is just as unique and pretty as the necklace inside the box. Just take a look at how my necklace was packaged. It's this kind of attention to detail, not just in the main body of work, but how the customer receives their merchandise..is truly something you don't normally find in this day and age.

Of course, I'm only cruising by the tip of the iceberg here. There are many many unique works of art at Under Glass. There are several other types of necklaces and of course, earrings and bracelets. I'm sure you'll find something just as unique as you are.

I Had an Indie Christmas

My husband has never been the greatest gift giver. I have to be very very specific or else...well you know :-)
So I basically did all the shopping for him. I wanted a Messenger Bag, an Apron and some bath and body stuff. I went shopping on Etsy and gave him several choices for the Bag and the Apron..that way I would be sure to get what I want but still be surprised on what he picked out.


Here's the apron he bought me. It's a full apron from Total Table Envy. It's called Tea Time. The front is this polka dot fabric with a blue background with white dots. The reverse side, the ties, the pocket and the really nice pleating at the bottom are all in this blue/white tea pot pattern. I love it. It's so feminine and so very well designed and sewn. The price was $29 plus $3 shipping. There's a pretty good selection from polka dots to paisley to flowers. It's a good quality apron that I wouldn't find in the local Target. Plus the fabrics just work so well together.



I've been dying for a messenger bag for awhile. So I did alot of looking on Etsy to find a really interesting pattern and what looked like solid quality craftsmanship. Cause you know I'm all about good quality stuff. My husband chose this one from the Ophelia Miller shop on Etsy. He got this one because the colors matched the Old Navy Peacoat I always wear in the winter. I don't know how I got along without this Messenger Bag. All these years of fumbling for my purse on my shoulder or having it fall off when I'm trying to put the kids in the car. This gives me complete freedome for my hands, plus I don't have to go unzipping things. There's 3 good sized pockets inside for little stuff like your cell phone etc. The Main compartment I use for my wallet but when I have to go out with my little one, it will also hold a couple of diapers and a small package of wipes with no problems. It also has a zippered compartment on the outside/front that I put my gum, receipts etc in. With all that stuff in there, it still lies flat. I just love the colors and the patterns and it has a nice adjustable shoulder strap. This bag is put together really strong, no worries about this one coming apart. Excellent work! This bag cost $38.50 plus $6.50 shipping. This has already paid for itself in my opinion, just in the last week or so.


It's nice to get exactly what you wanted for Christmas isn't it? I love my new things and am thankful that my husband followed my directions lol.I hope your Christmas was just as nice!

A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words

Now there are alot of pieces of photo jewelry out there. They are all clever and unique. I recently came across a new jewelry artist who has created a new kind of photo jewelry.

This is a photo tile pendant made by Amber Fay of Amber Fay Designs (on Etsy). She's a new jewelry artist on Etsy and she's got this unique photo pendant that just stands out from her other pieces.
I thought this was really neat and I had emailed her and asked her how she creates these pieces. This is how she explained it to me:

"The process used to create each pendant is a transfer method in which the photo is re-sized, edited (I will do all necessary cropping myself) and then converted to black and white. The photo is then baked onto the clay tile at a low fire temp. It is then refined, sanded, coated with a triple coat glaze process and then re-fired to finish the process.

Each piece is created individually to suit each person’s taste. Whether they want a simple pendant on a chain, a pendant adorned with some gemstone dangles/beads/pearls, or a pendant incorporated into a full necklace design, the design possibilities are endless and can be customized. "

She only uses semi-precious stones, freshwater pearls or Swarovski crystals in these pieces and only makes them with .925 Sterling Silver.

I just thought it was so unique to see the photo on a tile instead of surrounded by a small frame or in a locket. And, the fact that she will customize it in the way you want it will also make it a one of a kind piece. It would be anyway with your photo choice but you get the idea.

I think she's found a really great idea and I can see this going far and hopefully for Amber, selling well! If you're interested, stop by Amber Fay Designs on Etsy and you can contact her from there.