Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Wordy Wednesday! (Now with Pictures!)

Today's word of the day is Majestic!

Mind-Blowing, radiant, beautiful, exalted, grand.... there are all kinds of words that could be used to describe the things I see when I am here at the out-laws (aka, my BF's parents home in Asheville NC), but instead, I think today, I will just show you the Majesty that I cannot find words for today...



This is the view of the mountains from the bedroom window where we typically stay when visiting the out-laws.  It's even more stunning at night with the lights of the towns in the valley all lit up with the mountains and clouds in high relief from the almost full moon.


 
And this was the view that I had yesterday when we arrived at the Biltmore "house".  Standing at the top of the long hill near the statue of Diana, Goddess of the Hunt.

The interior was even more stunning, but alas, they do not allow photos to be taken of the interior.  The whole of it is positively stunning...and the views from the windows of the upper levels are amazing - but in the end, they are much the same as the views from the bedroom here...

In the end, it has been a lovely weekend.  The "vacation" from reality has given me wonderful inspiration for the coming year and I can't wait to get back into the kitchen and start creating new and wonderful products for everyone!


Sunday, December 27, 2009

This is why I do this - Say It Sunday!

So, yeah.  December was one of those months that had me in tears from the stress of life more times than I care to admit to or that I wanted to count. But the last few days I've gotten some wonderful feedback from people who have used products from my shop for a long time, and some who have just recently started using them, and that feedback reminds me why I keep trying to improve and why I keep on chugging along even when things seem like they couldn't get any worse.

Like this:


Wow is an understatement for this product. I've lost count of the many very expensive facial products I've tried in the past. NONE of them offered me the kind of exhilarating experience that these items have. I HIGHLY recommend this wonderful set and I will definitely be purchasing more. Thank you so much!

Oh my goodness I'm in love! This little soap is amazing.. super easy lather, nice scent, & cleans without over-drying! A little bit goes a long way! The mask is amazing as well. I love that it's all natural. The toner tingles with freshness, & has a nice grapefruit scent. This little box set is a perfect way to try out some great products at an amazing price.. I will definitely be back for more. Thank you so much!

This one was one of my faves:



I just LOVE these sugar scrub cubes! They are the perfect size for one shower, they crush easily into just the right consistency, and the lather is nice. Skin feels soft and refreshed afterward! Thanks so much.
 and this:

I cannot WAIT till the Little Heathens shop opens, cause if this balm is anything like the rest of the goodies, I am gonna lose my MIND!! Amazing!
 ~which is for the Calm Your Balm! Ointment for calming eczema and skin rashes that I am currently listing custom until the Little Heathens has its Grand Re-Opening in January.

So thank you everyone.  I am so glad you are enjoying the soaps, and so happy I can continue to bring these fantastic products to you :0)

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Wordy Wednesday! (now with numbers!)

Todays word is F*ck!








I admit... its my favorite word.  And I've been saying it a lot lately.

As in "The Post Office has really F*cked things up", and "Oh my F*cking god are you serious?!?" and "I'm going to F*cking go Postal - LITERALLY"

10 days - that's the number of days the post office has taken to deliver priority mail packages on average since December 1 (not including the 3 international packages (so far) that have taken more than 30 days to arrive - including 2 priority mail packages that took 30 days!).

4 days - the average number of days the local post office sat on packages from the time they were dropped off till they were scanned at the sorting facility before being shipped out.

5 - the number of packages destroyed or partially destroyed by the post office since November 15th of this year.

2 - the number of packages delivered 2 days late by FedEx

4 - the number of packages sent UPS that have been delivered (or attempted to be delivered) on time as promised.

$1000 - the estimated total loss this month due to mishandled, misdirected, lost, damaged, late packages (including postage, materials, and potential profit on the duplicate items). 
$500 - the estimated total amount of packages shipped via other carriers and reshipped via usps carriers to correct postal mishandling of packages.

$5 - the average cost of domestic postage for orders.

$10 - the average cost of domestic shipping for orders via UPS.

total number of orders for the month of december - 90
total amount that would have been paid had all of them been shipped UPS - $900 (estimate)
total amount paid via USPS (both original and reshipped packages)  - $745.52
total amount paid to other carriers (UPS & FedEx) to get packages to destination by deadlines after 12/15: $289

total cost to the PO or due to the PO's negligence: $1034.52

yeah.  Next year - ALL packages are going via UPS.

Testing!

is this on?

Blue - Frankincense and Myrrh 
Gold - Amber
Red - Patchouli & Nag Champa. 


Friday, December 18, 2009

THUD Thursday

I just printed postage for 42 packages... on top of the like 10 that were already packed and posted and waiting to go. 

I want to go THUD so badly right now.  I'm trying to decide if its the better part of valor (or something) to just go to bed and rest and sleep for 7 hours, and then get up and finish tomorrow. 

You see... someone posted a new truism on Twitter... "Procrastination is like masturbation...in the end you're only F*cking yourself".   

I don't think I've procrastinated, so much as been lethargic from whatever is going on with my health, but it works out about the same...even though I feel a huge relief at seeing the light at the end of the tunnel I still have that rather dreadful feeling that I'm f*cked.   I slept almost 40 hours straight from Saturday night through till Monday afternoon at 1pm.  I was technically awake, or at least, physically ambulatory, for about an hour and a half during that time.  Long enough at any rate to alarm my husband because of how slurred my speech was and how lethargic I was - and long enough to become physically ill from attempting to eat. 

On top of being woefully unprepared for running the shop alone through the holidays this has become an ongoing stress marathon for the last few days weeks months.  Between the health thing (I've lost almost 60lbs - 45 of which was lost over the span of 45 days between October and November), the post office debacle that caused me to have to redo multiple orders on top of the last minute holiday shopping orders, and the sheer volume of holiday orders (to say nothing of having to constantly reorder supplies due to earlier mentioned woefully unpreparedness)...I'm ready for about a week of sleep. 

So my next few days look something like this (assuming I go to bed after making this post):

Friday: get up at 730, package the remaining completed orders and take them all to the PO.  Finish the remaining orders that need to be finished, pack them all.  Pack up the kitchen/shop supplies, load my truck, and drive from St. Louis to Maryland.

Saturday:  Arrive in Maryland/Northern Virginia by 2pm.  Drop off 2 orders to friends between 2 and 4pm.  Drive to Southern Virginia.  Get home.  Die for at least 36 hours. 

Sunday:  If there is a god anywhere in the universe I will sleep the entire 24 hours.

Monday: get up at a decent hour (before 10am) unpack the truck, unpack the shop supplies, unpack any supply orders that have come in over the last couple of weeks, make whatever is needed for the last last minute pre-holiday orders and mail them.

So yeah.  I think its definitely time for bed.  I can still get it done in the morning.  I have faith in myself. 

Goodnight!  I truly hope everyone has had a fabulous pre-holiday season, and wish us all a less stressful week to come!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

The Many Mis-Adventures of Me - Introducing Wordy Wednesday

Say that 5 times fast.

I was going to look for some witty way of saying the Many Mis-Adventures of Oh Em Gee... and was looking for a word that fit angsting soapmaker that started with G.  It seemed appropriate since I lost 4 hours last night to a dead car battery because of the cold weather we're having... so,  I hit the thesaurus, I like the visual thesaurus... it amuses me.  Today it amused me more than anything and has inspired me to come up with a new thing to do on Wednesdays to cure mid-week boredom.

Everyone does wordless Wednesday - I'm going to do Wordy Wednesday! :-D

And the word of today is "soap".  Everyone knows soap is a fabulous amalgamation made from the salts of either animal or vegetable fats (all soaps I make are of the vegetable variety, though I do want to try bacon soap - but that's another post).

However, Did you know?

Soap is also these things:

Money to pay a bribe:


A street name for Gamma Hydroxybutyrate aka GHB AKA the Date Rape Drug!


We must do something about this!  Are we going to let soap keep this bad reputation?  Is it not bad enough that all these big companies like to infer that their "detergent bars" are really soap?  I mean, we as a people who love our soap must act!  We cannot allow this disgrace of our beautiful soapy goodness to continue!

Does this look like the face of something as deceitful as bribery to you???




No!  It doesn't!  So join me fellow soap lovers!  Raise your voices and lets be heard! Soap is much better than a drug!  And it leaves you feeling clean and refreshed!  Not slimey and low like bribery!

Who's with me?!?!


~Amy

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Its time for the white rabbit!






I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!

I'm not, but I am, and this is rather how I feel lately.  I'm a bit dizzy running around trying to get it all done, but I am determined to get it all done - even the last minute orders coming in hoping for Christmas delivery.  If I can possibly manage it, I will get those done as well...

I think I may have run myself mildly into the ground though.  I slept all weekend.  And unfortunately, that's not much of an exaggeration.  I literally slept from about 10-11pm Saturday night through till 1pm Monday morning with only about 1-1.5 hours of "awake" time in there.  And I hesitate to even call the stupor I was in anything resembling awake.  I was upright, able to walk, and semi-able to converse, but that was about the extent of my awakeness.

I'm fairly certain I'm fighting off something, but I haven't the slightest clue what - and so for now am determined to go on the theory of denial.  If I don't acknowledge it, then whatever is trying to brew itself can just hold off till I am home, the holidays are here, and I can afford a few days to be sick.  :-) 

Has everyone gotten their Christmas shopping done yet?  I'll admit to having mine done - but I have not yet begun to sit down and actually put the gifts together or do my part of them.  I keep thinking "I have time, I'll get it done, and yet, here I am on December 15th, only 10 days left to go till Christmas - 3 days left till I travel back to Virginia (which means 1 gift has to be done by the 18th and 1 has to be done by the 19th) and 3 gifts still to complete. 

At least I've sort of managed to cook!  I started a pot roast Saturday night, and so that was dinner for J on Sunday and for both of us last night.  Today I'm using the leftover broth and starting a stew/soup for dinner tonight and tomorrow.  Then I have to individually pack the rest of the meats to go in the freezer, bleach the kitchen, and then get my tush to work!

Have a great day everyone! 

(Still no word on the shipping mess, I'm hesitant to worry too much about it beyond using a different post office until I get back here in January and know what the resolution was.)

Happy Crafting!

Amy

Saturday, December 12, 2009

How much more expensive ...

Can UPS be than USPS?  I think I am about to find out.

I just had a conversation with my delivery lady that I wish I had never had.  I scheduled a pick up for yesterday for 20 packages.  They were still on my porch when I got home at 9pm last night, so we got back in the car and drove them to the Post Office in town. 

I've been using the pick up option because the post office here is not conveniently located, and given how many packages have been going out, figured that it was best to save myself the half hour round trip and use that time for other things (like keeping up with orders).

She rang the bell about 5pm, and I answered and said "Hi, I don't have any packages going out until Monday, they were scheduled..."

Post lady "I know, for yesterday, here's your slip for the pick up, you'll want to read the note"...

There was a handwritten note at the top of the page, detailing that the slip was not given to the other route driver yesterday despite that being the scheduled date and that she should pick up my packages today and disregard the out of date postage metered on said pick up. 

When she asked her boss about the out of date postage, her boss, she said, waived it off and said it didn't matter that too many people were shipping too many things and that the worst that would happen is that the packages wouldn't get delivered, or they'd wind up late, or eventually returned to me when they got around to resorting it when it came back through the chain. 

I was so floored I completely didn't think to ask her to bring me back a copy of the pick-up slip.  She's keeping it because she plans on taking it, along with the dates of the other pick ups that have been skipped (this is an average of once a week that she hasn't been given the scheduled pick up slips - just for me... at this point, about 3 weeks ago, she just agreed to stop if she saw packages on the porch whether I had scheduled a pick up or not - or more the point - if she got a notice of pick up required or not). 

I asked her what was going to happen - she said she plans on going to the local post master on her day off on Monday, and that if she lost her job, she'd collect unemployment for 18 months and then retire, but she wasn't going to be the only one going down.  Other than that her boss could "stuff it" because she was tired of them making her look bad, and that it wasn't any wonder no one used the post office to ship anything any more. 

She then recommended I start taking my packages to the next town over until this all got sorted out, and in the meantime to verify that all of my customers actually got their packages.  So now I need to change my shipping schedule, because the next town over is a 30 minute or so drive one way, vs the 30 minutes or so round trip that the town one is.

Or I need to find out if its really that much more expensive to ship UPS or Fed-Ex.  Etsy has this cool new hook-up with Fed Ex to save us money when we ship with them.  I think come Monday I will be seriously looking into it.

In the meantime, I will be writing emails to about 100+ people to verify their package arrival for all orders shipped (that i don't have other proof of delivery for) since the beginning of November.  Then I'm going to soak in the bath and cry for a while... because its Christmas season, and between this and the PayPal debacle from the other day, I think I have reached the limit of what I can handle.

Then, after dinner (which will come right after the bath - oh how I wish I had another of these ), I will be hitting the kitchen.  I have until Monday to get as close to done on all current orders as I can be, so that I can start working on anything that may come up between now and then so it all still gets where its going by Christmas.

Are we there yet?  Is it New Years Eve?  Is it 2011?

~Amy

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Good morning! I took advantage of my extra 3 hours today!

No, I did not suddenly become a morning person.  I am still your basic old fashioned grumpus until I've been awake for 3 or 4 hours.  The problem is, it just so happens I have been awake for 3 or 4 hours already, despite it only being 635am.

At 330 this morning, the wind advisory we've been under here in the St. Louis area, went from being an advisory to a full blown wind-storm.  Apparently the balcony door didn't close all the way, so the 35mph wind gusts blew the door open (thank goodness for the cat box, it only blew open about 5 or 6 inches vs all the way!) and trailed in a 22 degree blast of cold air that left me wide awake.  The fact that I was having nightmares about the shop right before that more or less determined my inability to fall back to sleep.

So, I spent the morning being productive in the shop.  Got a bunch of new things listed, edited a few more, worked on copy for the listings, and futzed on twitter. :) 

Here in a bit I'll be taking pics for said new listings, for now they have generic or distinctly older photos in them just to make do.  The hard part, actually listing them, is done at least.  And it solved a rather nagging curiosity of mine.  Sandalwood everything sells very well, but for whatever reason, the sandalwood frosting wasn't selling nearly as well as typically expected - and I figured out why this morning - apparently, it was never listed!  *slap forehead*

So, all of these new listings and edited listings are now located in the Sale section of the shop.  Everything there is 15-50% off, and the listings are only good "while supplies last".  I have an excess of inventory left over from the last show I did about 2 weeks before Thanksgiving, and since I'm going back to the Virginia House on (or around) the 18th, I want to clear it all out so I don't have to pack it and move it.  (Hot process soaps excluded for the most part because those take too long to restock).

The cool part - other than getting really great products on sale - is that I'm currently at about 6-7 (business) days for fresh made products... since these are already made, they can be shipped immediately - which means they'd be great for you Canadian and European folks because I can still get them out before the holiday deadline.

Speaking of... this coming weekend is the last sale I will be having this year, probably for at least a month or so...I might have a small one on my birthday in January.  So I'm offering a sneak peak for blog readers.  I'm going to be offering Free Shipping for all domestic orders over $25... 50% off  First Class International Shipping with orders over $40... Free Flat Rate International Shipping (medium box - a $26 savings) on all International orders over $75.  If you mention this blog post when you check out, you can get the sale prices now.  No exclusions applicable - this is valid for anything in the shop including sale and clearance items. 

So now I am off to enjoy my oatmeal, which hopefully doesn't have too much cross contamination of wheat or gluten since its the only breakfast food in the house... and then I'll be getting back to the To Do List of Doom. ;-D

Have a great day all!  Don't forget, more to come tomorrow about the approaching holiday! :)

~Amy

Monday, December 7, 2009

I can't believe it! There are only 25 days left in the year!

Where did this year go?!?!   I haven't the slightest clue where my year went.

But you know, that means there are only 19 days left until Christmas, which is what most of us are ramping up toward these days.

The shop has been alternately slow and very busy... between that and the ongoing testing with my health, I feel like I haven't had a break - but of course, I have.  I took Friday and Saturday last week for myself.  Friday I wasn't left with much choice since the sedation didn't really wear off until late Friday night.  Saturday I was just bone tired and wound up sleeping most of the day away.

I've discovered the last few months that its sometimes more important to listen to my body than to my never ending to do list.  My anxiety aside, I will be no good to anyone if I'm too sick to function.  So I bite the bullet on occasion and give in to my body's demands that I allow it to rest and recuperate for a day or two.

I want to do something special for the holiday season. I already have one last sale of the year scheduled (sneak peak coming soon just for bloggers!), but I am thinking I'm going to do something else for my readers.

So, keep an eye out here. Tomorrow I'll be making the big announcement, both for the sneak peak of the upcoming sale, and for the magic that will be the final countdown to Christmas! :)

In the meantime, lets try to start some discussion here!  I always feel a bit like I'm talking to myself in the big wide world of intarwebz.  So tell me something...what kinds of topics get you talking on a blog?  What would you like to know about me?  About the shop?  Should I start including more personal information and a little less of the running billboard?

For example, odds are good that I'm never going to be able to eat gluten again... would you be interested in my food journeys for finding gluten free recipes?  Should I start a new blog for that?

Talk soon!

Amy

Weee!

The First Snow!

It's not going to stick, and its light and kinda crunchy like ice... but its snow!  Happy Winter (officially - well, in about a week at the Solstice).

I'm sure everyone is going to become very tired of me posting "I swear I'm going to post something fascinating really soon!"... but I am!

I have some really good things coming!  First up is a returning product - Lip Balms!  This time though, they are going into tubes by popular demand :-D

Flavors -
Almond Biscotti
Clove
Marshmallow Fluff
Butter Toffee Crunch
Cream de Menthe
Orange
Caramel
Cinnamon Candy
Hazelnut Latte
Peppermint
Chai Tea
Jolly Rancher
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Cherry
Lemon
Ruby Pomegranate

 the returning and new mix of lip balms :-) 

Pictures and listings coming this week.  They'll be listed at $3 each or 2 for $5.  :-)

Also, a new product is on its way! as well as the full scent list for 2010!  :-D  Stay tuned!

And pssst..  I don't have a lot of time on my hands lately!  So what am I missing out there in the blog world?  What do you want me to know?

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Tis the season!

To lose your mind!  Bwahahahaha

Ok, ok, not really.   Its been a madhouse around here.  I lost a day somewhere, and blissfully wandered through yesterday thinking it was Tuesday, when in fact, no, it was Wednesday.  So now I have packages going out today by express mail.  My fault, coming out of my pocket.  I will get over it.

I will have fun and interesting things to report soon.  I promise.  In the meantime, I came back from Thanksgiving, was very productive on Sunday, lost Monday to being sick, and I still have no idea where Tuesday went.  :(

So yeah... my to do list is 5 pages long, and getting longer by the day.   I have so much to do, and I need a clone.  Anyone got a cloning device?  ;-)

How are your holiday preparations going? 

Saturday, November 28, 2009

It's Black Friday! What did you buy?

Gifts for everyone else right?  Naturally, that's typically what people buy on this day. 

I however, spent not a penny.  I had my holiday shopping done a few weeks ago.  I'll grant you my list is small (only 4 people not including the kids) and we're all restricted to $25 or handmade items, so it wasn't like it was a big challenge.

Ok, so finding presents for 3 40ish year old men that were unique, mostly or totally handmade, and that were under $25... *and* had to be "usable" items - ie...no kitschy anything or knicknacks or collectibles.  It had to be functional.

It was a challenge - which was why I started shopping 2 months ago. :)

So, in honor of this day of economy boosting... here's a list of things on Etsy I haven't bought, but wish I had the money for.

5. Luxe Amber Honey Citrine and Oxidized Silver necklace by ANORIGINALJEWELRY



4. Just about all of the t-shirts from Munchey's shop, but if I had to pick just one:  I used to care, really, I did..



3.  A lovely reminder of the deity who runs my life...carved by TreeSkinStructures. Old One Eye



2. Lovers by casanovax2 for its elegant simplicity and stunning clean lines






Tomorrow will be a new top 5 things I want on Etsy.  Possibly.  Tomorrow I'll be driving from my Out-laws beautiful home in Asheville, North Carolina... back to lovely St. Charles Missouri. 

I will endeavor to at least stop in and say "hi"!  In the meantime, what's you're favorite item on etsy right now?  Tell me what I should be spending my money on.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Happy Long Weekend!

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving!  I so wish I had taken pictures of the food before it was served here at my Out-Laws.  My MOL is a fabulous cook anyway (and I should know, I've eaten like 3 meals she's cooked - but not one of them have ever been less than something you'd see in a cooking magazine), but she really outdid herself for turkey day.

Going on the assumption that what is really wrong with me is Celiac Sprue - she made the ENTIRE dinner, Celiac friendly (except the Pecan Pie, which I hear there is no way to accomplish - not big on it anyway, so I didn't miss it).  

So I had turkey, stuffing, gravy, cauliflower with hollandaise/cheese sauce, broccoli and butter, fruit salad, sweet potatoes with marshmallow and pecan topping, and my very own crustless pumpkin chiffon.  OMG - that stuff puts pumpkin pie to shame (but don't tell J I said so.  ;-)

It was absolute divinity.  And now, we go from the lethargy of food to the madness of the true holiday shopping season.  And naturally, in my own way, I am participating as well.  Though I must say, after 3 years of working retail during the holiday season in my 20's, I *never* shop on these days, except from the comfort of my home. :)

So I am thankful for a fantastic mom-out-law, the divine dinner, and internet shopping!

So, what are you thankful for this weekend?  What are you thankful for every weekend?  Inquiring minds want to know!

So as of last night at midnight, all prices in the shop have been marked down for the long weekend.  Black Friday till Midnight Monday night everything in the shop is 25% off.

Everyone in the US, Canada and Mexico get free shipping with orders over $50, and everyone else in the world gets free shipping with orders over $100.

So go, shop, spoil your loved ones with gifts and treasures... and then don't forget to stop by early for great deals from the shop as well.  :-)  And then go to the post before this one and register for a chance to win a Creamy Sugar Scrub and a matching bar of soap :-D

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Happy Birthday! A Game and A Gift

And a happy birthday to my dad :-) Ha! For the first time since high school I'll actually be on time wishing him a happy birthday (ok, I admit, that is just a bit sad - but when you realize that I don't even know what day of the week it is without being reminded 30 times a day, its really no so horrid - I mean, I get the month right, and usually the week).

So lots of things going on right now (what's new?), first up, New product in the shop! Yay!


Creamy Sugar Scrub! A decadent treat, a new twist on a much loved product! No muss, no fuss, no mess, no slime! Just a creamy delicious blend of unrefined Mango Butter, Apricot Kernel Oil, Grape Seed Oil, and the purest Cane Sugar available. Formulated with a 100% paraben free preservative, as always, used at the lowest safe levels possible.


Its thick, its creamy, its scrubby! (and naturally, the inaugural scent was Sandalwood - you can however, buy the listing - psst! its 25% off now through Monday for the Turkey Sale - and request any scent you would like!)


And its in the spotlight! Look at it shine! Isn't it fabulous? Such a beauty! ok, I'll stop now. ;-)


I'm so excited I finally get to list these! I've been perfecting this and wanted to list it forever! I originally designed it for salt scrubs that were done by special request for some outside clients of mine who needed them for spiritual cleansing, but I didn't want to list them in the shop and have it be competing with the sugar scrubs - plus, I've never been a big fan of drippy scrubs anyway... and too many of the creamy recipes still leave you feeling like you just showered in an oil slick - just with less mess.

I wanted something whippable to hold lots of sugar for excellent exfoliation. Creamy and oil based, but not oily looking or oily feeling. And by golly I've got it! Right here in this fabulous little jar of whipped cream sugary goodness.

And perhaps the very best part of all, due to some recent changes in how I am able to purchase supplies, its even less expensive than the original scrubs! It can't get any better!

I'm torn though. I need to figure out what to call it. :(

Right now its listed as "Sugar Scrub Cream" - but I kinda like "Cream and Sugar Scrub" ... which will either go over really well when I do the Cafe Mocha, or be very confusing.

So here's what I'm going to do. Help me name it, and 1 lucky winner will get a Jar of Scrub (10 ounces) in the scent of their choice, and a matching Hot Process soap (about 5 ounces, recipe of their choice - Three Butter, Cocoa Butter or Olive Oil).

All you need to do to enter, is leave me a comment here, telling me which name you like better

1. Sugar Scrub Cream
or
2. Cream and Sugar Scrub
or
3 - Invent your own!

Plus a way to contact you (blogger account, face book, twitter DM, however that works for you!)

And for bonus points, plaster this everywhere you want to, leaving me a link to each place you plaster it, and I'll enter you as many times as you can find unique sites to post it to (1 entry per site, you can't have 500 entries for retweeting it every 10 minutes and spamming your poor friends - though I will appreciate your effort).

Contest will end on Sunday night (November 29th) at Midnight! So tell all your friends, and help me decide what to call these decadent treats for your skin! :)

Monday, November 23, 2009

So many changes, where to begin?

It's not quite the New Year as a lot of people think of it... but we are definitely heading into the end of the year in general, and for many pagan folk, myself included, Samhain, also known as Halloween (the period between sundown on the 31st through sundown on the 1st of November), marked the turning of the year.

It hasn't been the easiest start to a new year for me, or for Heathen's Hearth, but I am still determined to make a go of it. I have every intention, no matter the rocky beginnings, of making this year to come better than the year before. Plans are already in motion for many aspects of how I intend to make that work.

I am branching out into doing craft shows. Thus far I have done 2 that are local to the St. Louis area, and I intend to do shows in Missouri, Virginia, and Maryland throughout next year. Both shows were, on my scale, great successes and I look forward to more in the future. I realized how much I missed being able to have that one on one contact with clients, and how much a difference it can really make.

If there's a show you think I should come to in one of those states, or any nearby ones (like North-eastern North Carolina, south-west Illinois, anywhere in Maryland) do feel free to let me know. If the show is big enough, I may even consider other states.

There are going to be some product changes as well. The first change has already been started, and that is that I am moving to all paraben free preservatives, all pthalate free fragrance oils, and I am branching further into using therapeutic quality essential oils, and reducing the number of perfume and fragrance oils carried in the shop.

I will still be carrying many of the favorites (Sandalwood, Pink Sugar, Lemon Cream, Leather, Patchouli and Nag Champa) and of course, will be rotating out newer fragrances every couple of weeks or months in favor of new exciting limited edition soaps.

Some of the other changes are going to include: More products with fewer artificial colors - especially the newer version of lip balms (coming back soon, in tubes!); new scrub cube and sugar scrub formulations (now creamier, easier to use), Bath Salts (a favorite is back again!), and Salt Scrubs (for those who prefer a more robust exfoliation), and new products overall.

Current formulations almost ready to come out of the testing stage are: Facial Moisturizers (yes, a full year after they were first requested, I have come to the perfect 100% natural moisturizer!), a new line of masks and facial soaps that have come from the customized requests of multiple customers to offer a wider variety than just the basic 3 (oily/blemished, dry/sensitive, normal), Olive Oil hot process soaps, scrub cubes (already in the shop under the new formula), and Sugar Scrubs.


All of the products offered in the shop will be the same high quality products you are used to. Many of the changes, like the fragrance oils, essential oils, and preservatives used, will not be noticeable to most people. The new formulations will of course, and I will be offering both side by side for a while, and slowly phasing out the older formulas. If, after they are phased out, you still want the older formulations, I will happily continue making them on a per request basis.

The biggest change of all I have not mentioned yet. That change took place a few weeks ago, and that is that Misty is no longer working with me on Heathen's Hearth. She has opened her own shop on Etsy at http://www.wickedsoaps.etsy.com. For those of you who love the cold process soaps, make sure you head over there and check them out. She's coming out with some great new scents and products as well.

Many of the changes that will be taking place here in Heathen's Hearth are due to some other issues that I have been having of late. Which is to say, they kinda know, but aren't real sure yet. I am suffering from malnourishment due to a partial failure of my digestive system. I have lost over 50 pounds in 2 months and it has begun to sap my energy levels and causing me to have what amounts to "full body charley horses" due to a lack of vitamin and mineral absorption.

The biggest thing right now, is that I have gone from the normal 3-5 day shipping time that people have come to expect from us, to 5-7 days. In order to get this back down to the lowest shipping turn around that I can, I have begun to implement a plan to narrow the shop products to only what I have on hand. I will not remove anything from the shop as it is listed now, unless or until new products replace them (such as the sugar scrubs).

It is my hope to have a definitive diagnosis and a "fix" sometime within the next 2-3 weeks. I am asking for your patience during this time. I know it is very frustrating on your end as the customer, and I can't assure you enough that it is just as frustrating on my end. If I get beyond the point of a 5-7 business day turn around, I will be putting the shop on vacation status until I am caught up again. I am hoping I will not have to do this at all, and that the plans in place to create ready to go products in the most popular items (such as soaps), will prevent it from coming to that.

I could not continue to do this without the support of the fans and friends of Heathen's Hearth, and I look forward to working with you again over the coming year. Thank you so much for your continued patronage in this exciting and life changing adventure.

Monday, November 16, 2009

hey everyone

Please be patient. I promise I will be posting soon - I know there is a bit of disorganization here on the blog right now, but unfortunately right now I am unable to repair or edit the settings or items in the side bar.

I promise I will be taking care of this problem as soon as I humanly can.

In the meantime, please check the shop announcement for latest sales details and disregard the information on the side bar.

I will get back to regularly posting just as soon as I can.

Thanks!

Amy

Friday, September 4, 2009

Happy Labor Day

Ok, so not yet. I really did intend to write this week. *sigh* Its been busy as all get out around the Hearth here, so I haven't really had the time.

I will be writing a blog post later this week. But in the meantime, here's an article from last year on our Body Frostings. Since they are soon going to be back in our shop for the season, this is a good time to get reacquainted with them, and it does contain the beginning of the information that I will be posting on over the next couple of months about all of the ingredients we use in our products and why we use them.

Check out our Labor Day Sale in the shop for 25% off you're entire order! And while we don't have our body frosting in the shop yet, you can pre-order it through our shops alchemy function by clicking this link: Request Custom Item

On Body Frosting and the Nature of Oil:

We've been offering body frostings in our shop since the second week of November of 2008 due to heat and melt issues, we had to stop shipping them as of April 2009, and will be bringing them back in September of 2009. 99% of the people who have tried them, have loved them. But occasionally there are some confused reactions on what a body frosting actually is, how it works, and what its for; so this is going to explain all of that.

What is it? What's it for?

First, the name of the product, Body Frosting. Frosting (or Icing as its called where I grew up) is a frothy creamy substance used to cover cakes (a lesser known or realized use of frosting is it keeps your cake from drying out - plain cake dries out much faster than cake with frosting)... our "frosting" is a frothy creamy substance used to keep your skin soft and moisturized. Unlike real frosting however, where you have to use a full 8 or 9 oz jar to cover an itty bitty cake, 1 3oz jar of body frosting is enough to cover your whole body daily for about 2-3 weeks.

I personally use a tea tree & peppermint frosting on my feet daily, and it takes me almost a week to go through a 1/2 ounce jar of it...trust me when I say that the phrase "a little dab 'll do ya" is very accurate in the case of our body frostings.

"Why is that, exactly?" You may ask. Well, I'll tell you.

What goes in it?

Well, as I said, a little dab'll do ya - because our body frostings are a pure blend of 100% natural oils and butters, a little bit will go a very long way. The ingredients in our body frostings are very simple. We start with pure refined Shea Butter. Once this is melted down we add in coconut oil, grape seed oil, apricot kernel oil, and vitamin E. The last ingredient we add is a preservative which helps protect the frosting (and You) from harmful bacterial growth.

I've expounded a bit in previous posts about Shea butter, so I will summarize for you for now.

Shea butter (also known as Butyrospermm Parkii Fruit, aka, shea tree nut butter, etc) is the solid oil extracted (typically by expeller pressing) from the nut or fruit of the Shea Tree. It contains high amounts of Vitamin A and is well known for its healing properties for a variety of skin conditions (eczema, dermatitis, dry cracked skin, rashes, blemishes[anyone ever used retin-a the acne cream?], stretch mark healing and prevention, and more). Those people who have latex or nut allergies should *ALWAYS* do a patch test to determine if they will have a reaction to shea butter.

Coconut Oil (Cocos Nucifera Oil) is a solid at room temperature oil that contains high amounts of lauric acid and others which are helpful in maintaining the naturally slightly acidic nature of human skin. It has been shown to help fight certain strains of candida and thrush, and also helps in the breakdown of bacteria which causes the oders in human sweat. Due to its fast absorbtion rate and high fatty acid content, it is an excellent all purpose skin moisturizer. It has a shelf life of about 2 years when stored in its naturally occurring solid form.

Grape Seed Oil (Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil) is a highly touted oil for use on stressed and damaged skin. It is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 acid that helps cells maintain and replenish their membrane structure, leading to less visibility in stretch marks and wrinkles. It tends to be slightly slower at full absorption, making it an excellent carrier oil for essential oils, and providing a protective barrier for skin, while not creating an overly greasy feeling after application. This oil has a shelf life of approximately 1 year.
Apricot Kernel Oil (Prunus Armeniaca kernel Oil) is another lightweight oil that acts similarly to both shea butter and Grape Seed Oil, due to both its high Vitamin A content, and also due to its high content of linoleic (and oleic) acids. It absorbs quickly into the skin and does not leave any oily residue behind once it is completely absorbed. It has the shortest shelf life of all of the oils we use, at only 6 months when stored in a cool dark environment, and is why we recommend using your frostings within 3 months for best freshness.

Vitamin E is added both for its ability to help prevent rancidity in oils, as it is for its benefits to your skin in combination with all of the other oils we use. Vit E is a regulator for Vitamin A - it helps to maintain a healthy balance of Vitamin A within the skin. Due to its antioxident properties, Vitamin E helps protect skin from UV light, and boosts the power of sunscreens when applied at least 20 minutes before going out in the sun. It also helps fight free radicals in the skin which can cause wrinkles, liver spots and skin discolorations.

Lastly, we include a brand of preservative called Germaben IIe. This is made up of the following preservatives: Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben. It is used at approximately .5%-1% of the total weight of all of the other ingredients combined. This combination of preservatives is effective at preventing the growth of bacteria, mold, and fungus and keeps your product fresh through out its shelf life, protecting you from having icky things growing in your body frosting.

So Why use body frosting instead of standard lotion?

Standard lotions and moisturizers contain water, and lots of it. And while this is fine and there is nothing wrong with it, it has the side effect of requiring reapplication quite frequently. Part of the reason standard lotions and creams make your skin feel softer and smoother is that the water in those creams absorbs almost immediately, and swells the cells of your skin, which does temporarily relieve the look and feel of dry, wrinkled skin.

However, water evaporates almost as rapidly as it absorbs, and sooner or later, typically within a few hours, the water will have passed through the cells and you find yourself reapplying the lotion. The great thing about our body frostings is that they actually help to *heal* the skin, not only reducing the look of the fine lines and dryness of your skin cells, but actually aiding them to correct and repair themselves. And while it can't completely reverse the aging process, it can, and does, help your cells to retain their own natural moisture more readily, and thus correct the problem of dry skin with only 1 or 2 applications per day, versus the 5-8 times a day one would typically apply a standard water base mixture.

This is something to consider both for the health of your skin, and your wallet. While our body frostings run about $3 per ounce, versus the more standard $1.50 to $2 per ounce, they are actually less expensive over the long run, because you will use significantly less of them. So its the best of both worlds. You save your skin, and some money, and life doesn't get much better than that!

And always bear in mind, that phrase "a little dab'll do ya"... If you try to apply our frosting the way you are used to applying lotion, you will wind up looking like you've just swum through a river of mineral oil. Go easy on it. Apply a little bit, and if you feel you need more, wait till it absorbs first, and then see how you feel. By all means, use as much as you'd like, just be careful not to overdo it, or you might, as one customer recently put it "glow" after application.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Hey Hey its Saturday!

And you know what that means!

Saturday Night Specials! This is a rather special weekend - Misty is in the process of moving to Michigan (they arrived safely last night! yay!) and I'm holding down the fort - ACK! lol

Also, this weekend, we're participating in the Weekend Deals on Etsy - and have been featured in the Weekend Deals Gift Guide! Thank you Etsy!

So for the Entire Weekend - we're offering Buy 1 Get 1 Free on all soaps in the shop (equal or lesser value products are always the free ones folks! - Limit 2 free soaps per customer) and Buy 1 Get 1 50% off (limit 4 50% off items) on all other products in our shop!

But, since its Saturday, and it wouldn't be a good Saturday without an SNS - I've eliminated the limits! So stock up now, believe it or not the holidays are coming up quick and this would be a great time to start stocking up on some of our great summertime scents to keep the season going!

~~~~~~

Now, It did take me a bit longer than I thought to recover from my out of town trip last week, but I promise I haven't forgotten about the poll from last week, and the first article in the series should be rolling out no later than Wednesday! I've decided since Hump Day is about the slowest day of the week (after Morose Mondays that is) that it would be a fine day for reading up on all you ever wanted to know (and maybe some things you didn't want to know) about the things that go into our bath and body products!

So, keep an eye out for Wednesday, and in the meantime, I will endeavor to keep you as up to date as I can!

~Amy

Sunday, August 16, 2009

What do you know?

Better question, what would you like to know? I'm putting together lists of ideas for topics to write about here in the blog and I'd like to know what our readers would like to read. So friends, what shall it be?

There is a poll on the right sidebar in the blog. There are 4 choices (and I'm pretty sure you can pick more than one, this is the first time I've set up a poll on the blog), so cast a vote, and let us know what you'd like to read about.

The first three answers are things that directly relate to what we do and the things we use - essential oils, base oils and butters, and the possibility of listing more tutorials here on the blog. The last choice is up to you.

Do you want to know more about effective advertising? How to find your target market? Shop critiques. You name it, I'll try to write as informative an article as I can just for you.

So drop a line (here in the comments or over there in the poll) and let me know what you'd like to read about!

(I'll be watching the poll this week - it ends on Aug 23rd in the afternoon and I'll start posting new articles on the 25th)

~Amy

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Hey Hey its Saturday!

Time for our Saturday Night Specials:

Buy any Toner or Mask get a free 1.5oz matching facial soap! Just enter the soap name in the notes to seller.

Weekend deals: Free Shipping on all orders over $40

SNS:

Buy 4 Get 1 free - full size goats milk or glycerin soap! Leave your soap choice in the notes to seller at check out!

Buy 1 get 1 half off - on all lotions, 8oz sugar scrubs, and 6oz Scrub Cubes!

(SNS Excludes soaps in the sale and clearance section! Thank you!)

Saturday, August 8, 2009

SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL!!!

Hey guys! Its that time again!

Sale starts at 5p ends 9am EST on Sunday!

20% off everything in the shop including clearance and sale items!

Discount will be given by refund through paypal!

bonus:

Order $25 worth of product and get a free lip balm (leave flavor in the notes to seller)

Order $50 worth of products and get a free bar of soap (leave scent in notes to seller)

Order $75 worth of products and get free Shipping (*US and CANADA and MEXICO only!)

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

We have a winner!

We have a winner!!!!

Happy Backward Birthday to Beth aka aylwyn :-)

Congratulations! You have won a full set of our Cucumber Melon products!

Thank you to everyone who entered, for your support through this last year, for enjoying our products... it means everything to us!

Stay tuned! New articles are in the works, and I'm sure we'll have lots of things to talk about in the coming year!

Next up will be an introduction to our fall scents, which we will be rolling out in the next 2 weeks.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Happy Backward Birthday Give Away!

As Misty pointed out yesterday, we have reached the 1 year anniversary of opening our Etsy Shop! What a year it has been! We owe you guys so much for being so supportive of this endeavor. With that in mind, we're pleased to announce our Happy Backward Birthday Give-Away!


Now, we've never been known for following the usual trends, and we're not about to start. So, instead of getting presents for our "birthday", we're going to give some away! We're at the peak of summer, when everything is fresh - fresh veggies, fresh air... you get the idea. So we've chosen one great summer scents for this give away - Fabulous Cucumber Mint. Its a deliciously crisp blend of mild cucumber and cooling fresh mint - perfect for the dog days of summer ahead.


And this isn't just any old give away. The lucky winner is going to be getting a set of Full Size Products from our summer line up - almost $30 worth of products! You will receive:
1 5oz bar of glycerin soap, 1 4oz jar of our Goats Milk and Honey lotion, 1 8oz jar of Skin Softening Bath Salts, and 1 5oz jar of our Exfoliating Sugar Scrub.



Ways to enter:

1 - leave a comment on this entry telling us your favorite part of summer.

2 - be a follower of our blog (you do not need to leave a comment letting us know you follow us, these entries will be pulled from our followers list from blogger.com)

3 - every item purchased from our shop before August 1st will get you 1 entry

4 - post a link to this contest on your social networking site of choice (1 entry per website, leave a separate comment for each link-back to have them all counted... maximum 3 entries per person via social networking) examples include blogs, facebook, myspace, twitter, plurk etc.


Entry deadline is 11:59pm August 1st (the one year anniversary of our first listed item). Winner will be chosen at random from all entries using the Randomizer at www.random.org and will be announced on August 4th (the one year anniversary of our first sale!).


We're looking forward to moving into the next year with lots of new product lines, fabulous new scents, and of course, lots of time getting to know our customers - because without you, we wouldn't be here at all.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Free The Teen! - Free Shipping Sale!

Hi there!

It is almost the end of the summer, how have you been spending yours?

Tyler, my son, the 14 year old of the household, has spent his summer babysitting Misty's 6 year old son. While this is a very worthwhile endeavor (and he's been compensated for the time spent), he hasn't yet gotten his summer vacation. We would like to change that by giving him an extended trip to visit with his extended family in Florida.

Effective immediately - We are offering FREE shipping to the United States and Canada ($10 maximum shipping to all other countries). Once we've raised enough money to fund his travel expenses to visit with his favorite cousin the sale will be over, so buy early, and stock up for the rest of the summer so you can take advantage of this great offer!

(This can be combined with any other sale prices in our shop, so stop by soon!)

~Amy

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Remember those adorable little kittens?

They're about 8 times as big now.. the biggest is about 2lbs now.

They have definitely made life here interesting the last 7 weeks or so. I am currently sitting on my floor. Would you like to see why?


The second image is Gigi. She used to be the runt.. she's bigger than at least 3 of the other kittens now.

Don't they look comfy in my recliner? LOL

~amy

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Because I almost peed my pants

Good feedback is wonderful. FUNNY good feedback is priceless!

For our White Chocolate Truffle Goat's Milk Soap:

"Great quality soaps, great scents and great service. I could gush on and on, but I think that everyone is sick of hearing me go on and on about how great Heathens Hearth is..."heathens hearth this...Heathens Hearth that...". i'm addicted .My family tried to stage an intervention, but i locked the bathroom door..." - houseofv


For our Black Celtic Sandalwood Soap:

"Completely addictive scent. leaves you smelling and feeling like you've been making out with foxy man who is a combination of Braveheart,Marilyn Manson and Zeus." - houseofv

Friday, July 10, 2009

Oh happy day!

Our Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub Cubes made it to the Front Page today! All because of Balanced's gorgeous treasury that she so kindly included us in!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Thankful Thursdays

I am such a slacker...no new blog posts since last Thursday! Yikes. I guess it's time for me to step up to the plate and get some worthy reading up! On the LJ community I am part of, each week we do a post called Thankful Thursdays. I'm going to bring that over here today :)

Today I am thankful for:

  • My 6 year old little heathen, even if he does try my patience and throw head-spinning, pea soup spitting fits. Wait...isn't that most 6 year olds?
  • I have a nice house to move into at the end of August when I go home to Michigan that will have plenty of space for my supplies.
  • Heathen's Hearth surpassed 1,400 sales this week!
  • Coffee!!!!!!!
Speaking of coffee (you know it's one of my favorite things in the entire world, rating somewhere between my son and my honey on the"I love" scale and between breathing and sleeping on the "must-have" scale), so it's no wonder we have an array of these deliciously tempting, "too much blood in my caffeine system items!"


Orange Mocha Soap
With added cocoa and shea butter, we blended double brewed coffee, coffee grounds for light exfoliation, sweet orange essential oil and chocolate fragrance oil for a mouth-watering aroma that you will be hard-pressed (coffee pun fully intended) to resist!
















Cafe Latte Lip Balm
The delicious taste of a smooth Cafe Late in a smooth, moisturizing balm for your lips.




















The
Jupita Caramel Macchiato Soap
The aroma of fresh-brewed cappuccino, filled with heavy cream, and sweetened with sugary caramel over ice! Sweet, smooth and cool...just like it's namesake.




















Cafe Mocha Goat's Milk Soap

Just like your favorite coffee shop mocha, this soap is perfect a way to start your day. Made with real coffee bean for a burst of caffeine for your skin! Caffeine isn't just for your morning pick-me-up any more. Its also been shown to have excellent restorative affects on your skin as well!





















Cafe Mocha Sugar Scrub

Our Cafe Mocha Sugar Scrub contains real coffee grounds for extra exfoliation. It also contains caffeine which has been shown to have excellent restorative affects on your skin as well!















Orange Vanilla Latte Soap

The heavenly scent of robust coffee blended with creamy vanilla and orange, with added coffee ground for light exfoliation...makes absolutely dreamy bathing experience!
















We've also introduced some new products in our shop that are summer must-haves!

Pest Repellent Spray
A unique blend of natural essential oils in a base of witch hazel and organic aloe juice. This is a synergistic blend of mother nature's best defense against little biting pests!



















Pest Repellent Soap

This soap contains a unique blend of therapeutic grade essential oils that have been shown to be repellent to a number of bugs and pests including: mosquitoes, flies, gnats, ticks and fleas. Each essential oil was chosen both for its bug repellent qualities *and* for the clean and uplifting scents they leave behind.

















Soothing After Sun Spray

Aloe juice will soothe and help to moisturize your skin while our blend of essential oils are known to help speed the healing of sunburned and dry skin...and the added peppermint will leave you feeling cool and refreshed.





















We are always adding new Cold & Hot Process Soaps and make sure you check out our Facial Care Section for some great soaps and masks....and be on the lookout for Facial Toners soon!

Thursday, July 2, 2009

A chance to win a bar of Heathen's Hearth Soap!

CreateAThought is having an awesome giveaway on her blog for a change to win our CreateAThought Soap and some goodies from her shop!

Check it out here!

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Awesome Reviews!

"Misty and Amy make soaps the way I would make them (if I was a soap maker). Their attention to detail and presentation is amazing and very professional. The wide variety of fruit & floral fragrances teamed up with the decorative molds make for perfect gifts or a little luxury for yourself! Unique scents like Brown Leather add depth and excitement to the lineup. The soaps are all very generous in size, and I'm impressed all the way around! They provided excellent communication from start to finish and were very generous with sample soaps and a free gift. Thank you, Misty and Amy! I enjoyed the experience of purchasing from you very much." - stevetoearth
























"
My son (Eli) has had eczema since he was born - he's 5 years old now. He constantly is scratching because his skin breaks out in these rough, patchy areas all over his body. We're in Florida and the heat makes it even worse because he sweats. Try keeping an active 5 year old boy from playing or sweating in the summer. It's impossible.

We've tried everything...over the counter lotions and creams, prescription steroid creams (Elidel, etc.), baby bathwash, Hydrocortisone cream, you name it - the list goes on and on. Most are ineffective, burn his skin, or are so strong (steroid cream) that we worry there will be long lasting repurcussions. The steroid creams actually changed the color of his skin.

We tried the Oatmeal (Milk) and Honey soap last night during bathtime, with the Orange Ouchy Ointment afterwards. I'm in love!! The soap was gentle but I still felt like all of the little boy dirt was gone. When I rubbed it on Eli's skin, he actually sighed and said "that's nice Mom."

The Orange Ouchy Ointment went on right after his bath. I am so impressed with it because it's just perfect - just oily enough to really coat his skin and gentle enough that it didn't burn or irritate the already inflamed skin. With his eczema, the skin will often crack and split, which makes applying anything to it painful. I've spent literally hundreds of dollars on various things to help Eli's eczema with little to no success - I spent less than $20 on the soap and Orange Ouchy Ointment...and Eli actually had a night free of itching.

You have a loyal customer here...we'll be back for more, guaranteed. And I would definately recommend Orange Ouchy Ointment to anyone who has sensitive skin or is dealing with eczema - especially for children." - TeenyTinyFashions



















"LOVE IT!!! First, I have asthma and can't wear many scents, no perfume, etc. This is a light scent that lasts and smells soooo wonderful! Very moisturizing and such a light, delicate scent! I can't describe how much I fell in love with this product! Can't wait to try more!" - Easy123





"As soon as I opened the package from HeathensHearth it smelled like heaven. I was so excited to get to this scrub and I was overwhelmed - stunning stuff, looks and smells and feels so good. Simply divine. I can't recommend thi
s seller enough." - FashionFauxPas

















"I dont know what I did before these sugar scrubs...best things on earth!" - mainecoons4





"Oh.My.God. I am OBSESSED with your perfume oils! The scent is insanely long-lasting and smells BEAUTIFUL! I can't stop smelling myself! As usual your soaps are superb - I can't wait to try the Cafe Mocha!! HeathensHearth is seriously the best soap seller on etsy!!"
- LoveandLust

Come Sit a Spell

And enjoy the magical items from this amazing treasury!


Friday, June 26, 2009

Take a stroll down our aisle


We've rented a booth at Handmade Crafts for the month...stop by and check us out! You can find us at Booth B-11 or under the Bath & Body category!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

A new way to do a craft show!

Online! How amazing is that? Now, like a lot of people, I love going to a local craft show and browsing the aisles and tables...I always find some really great stuff. But now you can do that from your couch if you want to, day or night!

Handmade Crafts is a virtual craft show where handmade crafters and artists can showcase and promote their items online. You can find anything from Bath & Body and Candles to Jewelry and Metal Crafting...and everything in between!

Check them out: www.handmadecraftshow.com and watch for us, as we should have a booth up there soon!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

¤´¨)¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)(¸.•´ (¸.•`¤~♥ SNS at Heathen’s Hearth! ♥¤´¨)¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)

Yep, it's that time again!

20% off your entire order and a free 1.5 ounce bar of soap with orders over $25! (As usual, this does not include shipping charges).

Be sure to check out our new Cold and Hot Process soaps: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6062671§ion_id=6173711

Special runs from Saturday at 5 PM EST thru 6 AM EST Sunday Morning. 20% refund will be issued via paypal after payment is received! If paying by USPS money order, please convo us for a revised invoice.

Friday, June 12, 2009

We've been Featured!

The lovely Nicole from KnittedForEwe was kind enough to do a blog feature on Heathen's Hearth! Check it out HERE and find out a bit more about us :)

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Art + Yard Sale = Yart!


We are participating in the Yart Sale on Etsy sponsored by Team ESST!

-Sale runs June 10th through June 14th.

-Save 15% on everything in our shop (does not include shipping charges).

-Your refund will be issued via Paypal after payment is received! If paying by USPS money order, please convo us for a revised invoice.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

We have a winner!

Our Lemony Goodness Giveaway has ended and closed and we are pleased to announce the winner!

Yolanda from silvercloud07 is our lucky winner and will receive:

16 oz (that's ONE POUND!) of Lemon Cream Caramel Popcorn
5 oz bar of Iced Lemon Biscotti Natural Goat's Milk Soap
10 oz jar of Iced Lemon Biscotti Shea & Aloe Sugar Body Polish!

Thank you to everyone who entered and check back soon...Heathen's Hearth will surely be doing another giveaway in the near future :)

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Ohhh, the Treasuries...

For the first time in a long time, I snagged myself a treasury this morning. I went with a sweet tooth theme...I think you'll like it, lol.

Yummmmmmmmmmm
Chocolate and Icing and Sugar, oh my!






















We are also lucky enough to be featured in two other treasuries...

Green With Envy by miasophia






















Stars and Stripes by starkitty1969