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