Unbelievable sweetness anytime

Well here I go again slipping in another blog post late in the day but still before midnight.

Sara is the owner of the sticky wrapper and she lives in Washington state with her husband and son who are both very supportive of her business and help out as much as possible.  She has been selling online since January 2011.  I asked her what got her started making such wonderful treats and she replied that the idea came to her when she was laid off and a friend of hers told her about Etsy.  She thought candy would be fun, versatile and fairly easy to ship and the only problem she would have to deal with would be the candy melting in the hot months.

for those who need gluten free

At first she played with the idea of doing lollipops.  She ordered a sample pack of flavorings and the pack came with lemon oil.  Her other flavorings came from a local shop that has larger sizes that are a little more affordable plus it helps if you don't have to pay for shipping.  Many of her treats take about 4 hours to make.

All of her treats are made to order and special requests are welcome.  If you are having an event, please place in order in advance to allow time for Sara to both prepare and ship your goodies.  Handmade artisans always appreciate being able to plan their time in advance.  We love sending you the freshest and best possible products.

caramel sauce

I asked Sara about her lemon/lavender caramels as far as what do the smell and/or taste like and she replied that the tastes and scents of the oils were very similar to regular extracts except slightly stronger and could be used in chocolates as well.

 Sara says she has always loved specialty candies and will try anything once.  God bless her.

I also couldn't resist asking Sara where she got her ideas for some of those wild treats from like the maple bacon caramel or balsamic strawberry marshmallows.  She told me the ideas come from family and cooking in general and that there are so many choices out there that she picks the ones she thinks will make her business stand out.  She also told me that the bacon flavors are pretty popular as well as the spicy caramels,  but the other flavors only seem to sell at certain times.

bacon salted caramels, anyone?

All candies come wrapped in FDA approved  self sealing packaging.  Sara's caramels and marshmallows are all made from scratch, and cooked on the stove, then poured into molds in order to keep them as uniform as possible.  Now go visit her fan page and then her shop and see if one of those 56 items will bring you and yours some special delight.

Become a fan of thestickywrapper and invite your mouth to drool over any of these special candies

The Amazing Hollyknitter

Question: How long have you been knitting and crocheting?

Reply:  I have been knitting since college and crocheting for over 50 years.  My grandmother taught me how to crochet when I was only 8 or 9 years old which is a memory I treasure.  I love to knit and have really enjoyed creating since I retired almost 4 years ago.

Question: Why did you decide to call your business Hollyknitter Creations?

Reply:  Holly knitter creations is named after the area we live in (east Texas).  Holly Lake Ranch is about 2 hours east of Dallas and has the trees and green landscape that reminds us of the east coast where I lived as a teen as that is also where my husband grew up.  Plus we are close to our children and grandchildren.  There was a coffee shop called HollyPerk in our nearest town and I played on the use of Holly from Holly Lake with my knitting.

Question: Do you use different types of yarn as well as different colors of yarn?

Reply:  Wash cloths and dish cloths need absorbency - so I use 100% cotton for those.  There are some differences so my baby wash cloths are made with a very soft cotton and the dish cloths have a little different texture in the cotton yarn.  I like to use cotton for my towel toppers but do resort to acrylic when I have to match a specific color because cotton tends to "run" and acrylic is color fast.  My baby hats can be made in either cotton or acrylic, whichever the customer wants or whatever catches my eye.

Question: What has to be done differently to get the embossed look on your wash cloths?

The embossed look in the "picture" cloths is created with knit and purl stitches.  I just ordered a tree house pattern to make for my grandkids for a Christmas present that will go into their stockings.  It is always fun to figure out a special cloth for each grandchild's personality.  One year it was skateboards, Ninjas and ducks.

Question:  Where do you find your ideas for creations to make?

The towel pattern with the knit ties is my own creation because I hate to sew.  So I created a handknit topper for the dish towels that use ties rather than traditional buttons.  I also use patterns I have purchased or found online from several designers.  I feel copyright is important to respect.  Some designers have given me permission to make items from their patterns and I give them credit as the designer.

Allison Barren has beautiful quilt patterns that are knitted.  The designers I use are very gracious when I order patterns and send them in MS Word format so my computer can read the lines to me audibly with a screen reader as I am legally blind.  It is awesome to have that kind of technology to be able to accomplish what I want to do as a knitter and as a business woman.

Question:  How long did it take you make and list 100 items?

I have been selling my creations on Artfire for 18 months now and I just reached 100 items a short time ago.  Other info about Hollyknitter Creations:  I also belong to a charity knitting group and we make hats, scarves, baby items and prayer shawls for missions and local charities.  The group is called Chicks with sticks.  The group meets once a month and makes some of the most beautiful afghans, shawls and sweaters.

You can find Sharon (aka Hollyknitter) using the below links.


hollyknittercreations on Artfire
find her on pinterest
and on twitter

Who is Sewmantra?

This blog post is a look back at a blog post I did last August.  This particular artisan has taken a turn, one that is a happy one for her and may very well be for many others, but to me it is a sad one as I truly loved her work and I can not imagine being able to make any of those fabulous creations no matter how good she is at teaching  others how to make creations.  You can see the old post with the images of her creations by visiting here.

She now has a store where she sells bags, totes and tees with various prints.

Sewmantra's Monarch butterfly

Another printable from Sewmantra

Sewmantra's Daisy

She also does some classes and will soon start some art and creativity coaching on Crafty Link sometime in May.

Sewmantra's Social sites:
pinterest
blogspot
twitter
tumblr
stumbleupon

Oscar's story and Simply Purple

 My dearest and best friend, Judy of AussenWolf Designs curated a collection on Artfire.com that she called
 Mom loves purple which is featured on the Sunday April 7th Artfire Artisan News letter.  So if your mom loves purple, you should check this collection out for some awesome and affordable gifts.  Don't forget that Mother's day is May 12th this year.  To see the collection, click on the link (Mom loves purple) on this post, then you will be taken to the news letter and you will see a black box on the left side of the news letter and if you click on the white letters that say "Mom Loves Purple curated by .... that will take you to the collection.

Please note you will not be able to comment or vote on the collection unless you are registered user and log into Artfire.  However, if you would like to purchase one of the items in the collection, you simply click on the item image and it will take you to the shop with that item so you may make a purchase.  Artfire has one of the simplest and easiest purchase systems on the web.  Happy Mother's Day shopping.

About a week and a half ago, Judy's precious dog (Oscar, picture below) had a crisis.   Sweet Oscar had a pancreatits attack and ended up spending two nights at the vet's.  They did some x-rays, had him on IV fluids the entire time, gave him antibiotics, pain medications, and now he is on a very special (and a bit pricey) diet for the rest of his life.  She loves Oscar so much that she has expressed that he is worth every cent.  If you would love to give a help paw to Oscar and Judy, please visit aussenwolfdesigns@artfire.com
At her shop you will find a variety of  wire wrapping, bead stringing, bead embroidery, pearl knotting, semi-precious stones.  You will also find that one of the reasons we are such good friends is that we have integrity in common.  We both believe in giving quality at a reasonable price.  You will not find your ears itching or your fingers turning green from her jewelry.  She will tell you if it's only gold plated, where as some other less scrupulous people will claim their jewelry to be gold filled.  For Example she has a beautiful emerald pendant and right in the title in parenthesis is the fact that it is synthetic.

Would mom like this? only $45.00

Perhaps she would prefer a set that is delicate

Or something simple and inexpensive (only $10)

A Newer venue FleaBids featuring Droxy's

When I was about 6 years old, which makes me way older than I care to admit, my mother taught me how to knit and my grandmother taught me how to crochet. We started with simple things, knitted scarves, crocheted lace for towels and pillowcases. I was excited as soon as I finished my first piece, to think that I had created something beautiful with my hands and a bit of yarn or thread. That was the start of my life as an artisan over 45 years ago.

It wasn't much later, probably around age 9 or so, that my mother bought me my first beading loom. Fortunately it came with instructions as my mother had no idea how to use it. I learned quickly how to make beautiful bracelets, necklaces and more with that loom and started creating my own patterns.

Somewhere along the way both Mom and Grandma also taught me how to sew. Mom used to make us matching outfits, so I thought it was just great that I could do the same. It also came in handy much later in life when I was raising my children. Most of the clothes they wore back then were handmade and they just loved them. They could choose the fabric and I would turn it into clothes for them.

We didn't have a lot of money then either, being a single mother of 3, so I started using my skills to earn some extra money. It wasn't long before I had built up a small clientele of women that needed clothes for work, so I quickly turned a room of my home into a sewing room. That room was my savior on many days as I found myself escaping there when I was stressed and working on some sewing.

As time went on and I mainly used my crafts to make gifts, I realized that I was beginning to get quite a large collection of things I had made that hadn't found a home, so I began selling some of them. First I went to craft fairs and fundraisers, until I was introduced to the wonderful world of online selling. One of my friends showed me how to do a listing on one of the major auction sites and that was it for me.

Even though I worked full time, I used the evenings to work on my creations and put them up for sale online. I gradually expanded by adding supplies to my line as well and had a pretty good little business going. I joined a couple of other artisan sites over the years and was able to sell even more of my creations.

I hadn't done much beading over the years and focused mainly on my sewing, knitting and crocheting, until my mother took me shopping to a bead store one day. When I saw all the amazing beads there it started a fire to get back to that, and so I did. I found some great patterns created by other people and used those as ideas to create my own jewelry. I was never sure why, but I seemed to be attracted more to the Native style of beading and soon had store owners asking if they could buy it to put in their stores. Of course I was honored, so I was able to put several items in a couple of stores.

After many years of online sales and shopping, I found that I wasn't making as much profit as I would like, even though I didn't depend on my crafts for income. I also met many other artisans along the way that had the same problem. Artisan items take not just money for materials, but also time and in some cases a lot of it. While there were plenty of people that appreciated that and were willing to pay a bit more for handmade, there was also a large chunk of the profit taken out by the sites that I was selling them on. When it finally got to be more than 50% of my profits I decided to do something about it.

I had taken a partner into my business and added resale items to our line. We also had a friend who was an IT specialist and webhost. My thought was that with our experience and skills we could create a place where artisans and resellers could offer their products for sale and keep most of the profit in their own pockets. That was the birth of Fleabids.com.

We put our heads together and worked many long hours to create a safe shopping and selling community for anyone with something to sell. It makes me most happy to see other artisans, who put love and time into their creations, able to sell them for reasonable prices and not have to give a large portion to someone else for the privilege of selling it. Even though I don't have much time for my own crafts anymore, it gives me great pleasure to be able to help other artisans along the way. Most of all I cherish the friendships I am making with members of our site and look forward to many more years as we grow and change.

Soulshine Arts

Cat started with a little introduction about herself.

 I have been creating art most of my life.  I was always drawing as a child.  I took it very seriously towards high school and went to college intending to be an artist.  I went in a painter/ drawer but came out a photographer/ potter with a teaching degree in k-12 art.  I taught for two years in area high schools, but the economy ate my job!  I started selling my work, mostly pottery and some photos at craft fairs about five years ago.  I also started my Etsy shop back in 2009 and more recently moved the majority of my work over to craft cafe.  I think what got me started initially, is my Father who taught me how to draw trees and gave me tons of art supplies at a young age.  It snowballed from there.

Are the ideas your own or do you find patterns and ideas somewhere?

I always create my own patterns, like for the felt owls and monsters and most of my sewing projects.  I do get many ideas from Pinterest as well.  If you check out my board you can see where I've gotten some ideas.  I try not to copy ideas but to improve upon them.  The teacher in me gets excited about new creative projects and I just have to try them.

Is there something special about clay buttons?

Well, They are pretty strong and they hold up well in the wash.  I think it is just the idea of having something unique and handmade to add to a unique handmade item.  I've had other crafters buy my buttons to use on their handbags, cowls and wool gloves.  It adds an extra element to a handmade gift. 

What is bunting and what is it's purpose?

     A bunting is a decorative banner.  I first saw them being used as decorations for a babies rooms or for a party.  With the birth of my daughter, I became interested in making one for her room.  It was fun to make so I made up some to sell. They remind me of medieval castles and they bring an interesting element to a rooms decor.

Sculpture for the garden and pottery for the garden are both empty, do you have any idea when you might be adding some items into those categories?

I have so much pottery to list, but with three kids and a house to clean, I don't have a ton of time to photograph everything.  I also run a vintage site on Etsy with my Dad.  It is that part of my business that has got me to the point I am at now.  I am trying to inventory and organize my stock so it is easy to pull things when they sell.  I guess having a third child has forced me to organize my house better.  I am slightly obsessed with it, but I am finding that I am already more productive in the last few weeks because of it.

What you may like to know is that I have a few bird baths and bird feeders to list in the pottery for the garden section.  The other section is for my sculptures which I plan to start making this fall.  I plan to make fairy houses, toad houses and more bird houses, feeders and baths.  I love the garden and I love creating unique pieces for it. 

How long did the bowl take you to make and what makes it black on the inside?

What I think your asking is more about the process of making a piece of pottery.  It starts as a wet lump of clay.  I work in my basement studio.  i take the clay and plop it on my pottery wheel.  Throwing (not literally, just the term we use) a bowl on the wheel does not take too long, maybe between 2 to 20 minutes, depending on the size.  Once it is formed, I have to let it dry about halfway, which can take a few hours, then I flip it over and trim the bottom.  Once trimmed, it must dry overnight completely, then it is fired once in my kiln.  A kiln firing is between 8-12 hours, then it has to cool down. one cool, it can be glazed and re fired.  Glaze is the black part of that bowl.  The red is the actual color of that clay.  Clay comes in many shades.  The whole process takes about 3-5 days.  Its quite the process, but I love every part of it. 

Now that you know the process of creating a piece of pottery, picture sitting for hours making tiny things like buttons and pendants and then having to fire them all, glaze them all and then tag and carry them to shows.  It is exhausting and Ive found they don't sell well at craft shows.  I also have a large kiln.  If I had a small one, I would probably continue to make small things, but until I can afford one, ($400-600) I will hold off making more small objects.  I have also gotten myself into making too many different items and I feel the need to limit it.

What types of materials is used creating pottery?

Pottery or ceramic items are made from clay.  I use the term pottery for items that are thrown on the wheel.  Ceramic tends to refer to items made from a manufactured mold, which I do not do.  I use both terms though.  Clay comes from the earth naturally and comes in different colors and strengths.  I use an electric kiln, which is like a big oven to fire the clay to make it hard.  Once clay has been fired once (bisque ware) you can glaze it.  You can paint, spray or sponge it onto the surface.  Glaze is a mixture of compounds in water which reacts to the heat in the kiln and forms the glass like coating on the surface of the piece of pottery.  Glazes can be handmade, which I hope to do someday or can be bought from a manufacturer. 

How long has your shop been open?

On Etsy, since 2009. I started very slow.  It took me a long time to truly figure it out and decide what I was doing.  On Craftcafe, I signed up before it opened and was set up for day one.  I have had my business name since 2006 and have been doing craft fairs here in Maine since then.

One important thing to know about me and my shops right now, is that I am at a crossroads.  I have a new vision for my pottery.  I got a little overwhelmed by what others thought that I should be making, mostly at craft fairs.  I took some time off from making new pottery while I was pregnant with my daughter and worked on my plan as well as all the felt items. 

 I plan to continue making some felt items as well as fabric ones.  I am gearing my Craftcafe site towards child friendly items.  My new pottery line will be on Etsy.  Or so that is my thought this week.

Are all of your social site links listed as part of your shop?  If not, please include them, along with the url(s) of any images that you would like me to use with the article. 

I updated them today.  I do have two blogs. 

Feel free to include a bit of personal info about yourself and your background if you would like.

My name is Catherine or Cat Rolfe.  I am 33.  I have three kids, Trafton, age 5, Sawyer age 3 and Lillian age 6 months.  I live with my partner Mike, our kids, our yellow lab Luke and cat Zues in a small house in the woods in southern Maine.  I am a stay at home Mom, artist, crafter, organic gardener, and going vegan for good.  My life is busy and crazy and fun!

Craft Cafe
Facebook
pininterest
Wanelo
blogspot

BowsGaloreandMore

I thought it would be interesting to learn about artisans that work with felt, so I contacted two shops on the Craft Cafe that have various items that were created with felt.  One of these shops has items created with both felt and burlap and the other also has pottery items plus ceramic buttons and jewelry (her shop will be featured on Thursday).

The shop I am featuring today is BowsGaloreandMore, the artisan/owner's name is Melanie.  Here are the questions I asked with her answers:

How hard is felt to find in various colors?
Felt isn’t that hard to find if you take the time to research different suppliers to get it from. There are several types of felt to use, so there are a ton of suppliers to choose from.

How hard is it to cut into shapes or to sew felt?

The felt isn’t hard to cut. It just takes time to do it. Since I am so picky, it takes me a little longer. I do not like the felt to have fuzzies, so it requires A LOT of trimming. Your hands can get really tired and sore from all the trimming. I usually put a movie on when I am trimming them so that the time goes by faster. Felt is very easy to sew whether you use a sewing machine, embroidery machine or choose to hand sew.

Do you use some sort of backing to make the felt stiff?

I use a stabilizer that is made for embroidering to make the felt stiff.

How did you get that little heart shape on the felt elephant’s ear? It’s so tiny that it looks like it would be very challenging to get it right.

The heart on the elephants is ear actually built into the design. So it doesn’t require me to do anything except change the color of thread on the embroidery machine.

Did creating the girls owl (white one) felt hair clip require several steps? It looks so intricate with all the different colors which may look like they are from stitches and not on the material?
The “Tropic-Owl” is a two step process. It requires that one layer of felt be sewn to another then             trimmed. The different colors on the owl are actually part of the design that is printed on the felt that I use. It has a really pretty tropical floral pattern on it.

How did you get those black eyes on there and the white stitching around them?

The black and white eyes are part of the design of the owl so the embroidery machine actually                 does the work. I just have to change the thread out.

What does the term burlee mean?

Burlee is a term that I use to refer to my Burlap Door/Wall Décor. I thought it was much cuter to               call them a Burlee than to just call them burlap door décor or burlap wall décor.

Did you have to buy patterns to make your bows and burlees?

No. All of my bows are made by hand. They are all hand sewn so that they can be washed in a washing machine on the delicate cycle and come out clean and in one piece. The burlee designs are many of my own designs that I have come up with. I actually hold copyrights on many of my designs because they are based on many of my own original sketches. I am currently working on having many of my sketches converted to files to be used in embroidery as well.

How hard and how much time did it take you to find so many colors of materials to make all of the various items that you have in your shop?
 It took me many months of researching in trying to find the best and highest quality materials to use in my items. I want my items to last many years down the road. I want my customers to know that they are purchasing a quality item that they can enjoy for a long time.

Which is the easiest/or fastest item to make and which takes the longest?

 My bows are by far the easiest to make…..That being said they are still difficult. Each bow is hand sewn then treated with a stiffener and then baked so that they will hold their shape.

My burlees are the hardest and take the longest time to make.. Each one is hand cut, sewn by me and then hand painted. This takes MANY hours because each has several coats of a paint mixture that gives it shape.  Then they are sealed with a special sealer. They also take many hours to create because I do a lot of custom orders with A LOT of detail. So they are made to customer specifications, whether that is making them to match a certain décor in a certain room or to match outdoor décor. 

When did you get interested in working with felt and burlap and why did you decide to make bows?

I have always crafted….since I was a kid. My mom taught me when I was very young to make     candy, cakes, sew….You name it, I have probably done it. I have also won many awards for paintings that I have created. So my crafting spans many different mediums. Bow making started for me when a friend wanted to buy some ridiculously priced bows at a craft show. I told her that I could make them for her and so I got the materials and made her a bunch of bows at a fraction of the cost of the few bows she had wanted to purchase. That is why most of my bows are inexpensive compared to other boutiques.  My bows are also hand sewn and not glued together. They are made to last. I decided to work with burlap because it is such a wonderfully versatile material. It literally can go with any décor and is natural.

How long have you been making these types of items? Did you start with something else? Are there other craft items that you started out doing first?
 I have been making these types of items for 5 years now. I started with bows but it began with a             love for crafting and creating unique and beautiful things very early in my childhood. 

How long have you been selling on the web?

 I have been selling on the web for 3 ½ years now, but have just started to really keep a good selection of items. I am always creating new designs though.

Tell us a little about you.

First and foremost, I am a mom to 3 beautiful boys and a wife to a wonderful husband. He is so wonderful in fact, that he totally and completely supports my love for crafting. This allows me to be a stay-at-home mom. He is in the process of purchasing a building that will become my shop/studio.  I began crafting very young…..I come from a LONG line of crafters and artists. I have a degree in early childhood education and a minor in art. I love the outdoors, having family BBQ’s, cooking, painting, writing……pretty much anything that has to do with creating something. I am from Alabama and California.  I say this because I was born in California and spent most of my life there but moved to Alabama when I was 15. This is actually the longest I have ever lived anywhere. I went to 11 schools by the time I was a freshman in high school.  I have always been the type of person that could see something while out and about and was able to re-create it.

Craft Cafe
Facebook

Custom Photo Pendants and Charms

The woman behind Hopes and Dreams studio (on Artfire.com) lives in Okalhoma with her husband, two children and one grand child.  She is now specializing in custom photo pendants and charms and love to create some one of a kind pieces.  Her studio includes jewelry for women and children as well as charms and pins.  Right now her studio has some really awesome jewelry for St. Patty's Day.  She is passionate about handmade and has varied interests, including creating jewelry,  costumes,  candles and eco friendly items to name a few.

She also blogs (itsahandmadeworld) and features various artisans and themes on her blogspot.  Her blog includes some really cool things like free printables and her favorite tutorials.  She features different themes pictorially (via blog hops) with items that fit the theme many of which are holidays or occasions.  Plus she also features different artisan. The number of themes covered vary with the month and looking back into her archives most months contain 3 or 4 themes.  A few months have up to 6 themes.  So it's a great blog to visit for themed handmade items that you may wish to purchase as a gift for your family, friends or even yourself.

Just one more beautiful image.

Where you can find her:  Hopesanddreamsstudio
It'sahandmadeworld
At Pininterest
FB fan page
Google+

Card Making - Snowbearhobbyshop

Today I have another artisan feature, this time a card maker.

Do you know where the idea of cake toppers came from?
I'm not sure where the idea for cupcake toppers came from,,, I had a request for  a set a few years ago,,, I don't often make them very often as they don't sell very well..

Do you have any get well, birthday, retirement, graduation or wedding cards?
Many of my greeting cards are blank inside.  I keep them blank in case someone wants a get well or another sentiment on the card. I can usually add the sentiment to the front or the inside of the card.

One way in which she can add Happy Birthday to a card

Do you buy materials that are embossed (raised) or do you do that with an embossing folder?
I do not buy embossed paper, I have a machine that does the embossing.  I love embossing paper and use it on most of my projects.

Can you or do you have any pop up cards?
I have never done pop up cards, but if requested I would be happy to research and I do take custom requests.
 I have done custom messages, but only printed off the computer,, it costs a little more but it is worth it to have a  special message that is more personal. I do not do print or graphic work, at this time.

What type of ribbon do you use on your spider cards?
The ribbon used on my spider note cards is black sheer ribbon bought at Michaels arts and craft store.   I love love sheer ribbon.

Which card have you created that you feel the most proud of?
The card I'm most proud of is my skunk out house card. It took me almost 2 hours to make and design the card, but the outcome is just so adorable!!! This is the most time consuming card that I have been involved with.

What is it that you are using for the eyes of the deer on your deer gift tags?
The eyes on my deer gift tags are called Googly eyes and can also be purchased at Michael's.

How long have you been selling on the interenet?
I've been making and selling cards online since March of 2008

Was there any particular event that made you interested in making cards?
There is no particular event that got me into making or selling online, after purchasing my cricut machine, I used to post my creations online for others to see and someone suggested a selling site for me to list my creations on, so I joined and have been selling online ever since.

Which items are your best sellers?

My mini note cards sell the best, other shops buy them and use them use them as thank you cards for their packages.

Do you also sell at shows?
I have never tried selling at craft shows since I sell small ticket items, it would take alot of sales to gain back the table fees, which I am not so sure would be worth it.

Have long have you been making cards for?
I started scrapbooking in 2007 and started making cards in 2008 so not long before i started selling them.

Tell us a little about your background and who you are.
My name is Heather,, I've always been a crafty girl ,, I was introduced to cross stitch and stuff animal making in high school and have been hooked on crafting ever since. I did cross stitch for over 10 years getting me through some difficult times. After meeting and marrying my husband I took up crocheting which got me through some loney times with hubby being gone alot. After our wedding, I took up scrapbooking and loved it and got hooked right away. After completing many albums, I ran out of pictures to scrapbooking and then turned my attention to making cards.

There are also some crotchet items in her shop

After running an embroidery machine for many many years, when my husband got out of the military and we returned back home (Nova Scotia) I got a job at Michaels (arts and crafts store) I have been there almost three years now.  I love my job and most of my supplies come from there, it is always nice to see new products and change coming into the store. I work part time, with no kids.  I have a dog (hunter) who is plastered all over my Facebook page, he is a rescue dog with tons of issues but he is ours.  I love movies, playing cards and most of all creating with paper and yarn and hope to do so for many years to come.

Where you can find snowbearhobbyshop:

snowbearhobbyshop
blogspot
snowbear on Wanelo
twitter
pinterest
facebook

Have you heard of the Lavender Fox?

Today I am going to introduce my readers to a very lovely lady who owns the Lavender Fox on the Craft Cafe, she is also on Etsy.  Below are the questions I asked her along with her answers.

What makes a truffle bath melt a truffle rather than just a bath melt?
A tub truffle and bath melt are essentially the same thing; I just like the way “tub truffle” sounds because it sounds so luxurious! I was looking for new recipes a couple of years ago and ran across a recipe for “tub truffles” that intrigued me. After I tried it, I was hooked. I have tweaked the recipe since then to put my own touch to it and it has become a customer favorite. Once people try them, they always come back for more.

How many different ingredients can be used to create toners?
I have seen lots of different formulation for toners. Toners are very versatile and can be made from a lot of different ingredients depending on what someone’s skin needs may be. Since most people have “normal” or combination skin, the toners I have available can benefit a wide range of clients. Their ingredients include witch hazel, distilled or floral waters, aloe vera gel, vegetable glycerin, and essential oils that benefit the skin like lavender, geranium, chamomille, sweet orange, and rosemary to name a few. 

Is your gentle baby wash technically a soap? What makes a cleanser gentle?
Yes, it is a soap, but unlike most commercial products, it does not have any harsh chemicals or anything that should irritate sensitive skin. That’s basically why I call it “gentle”. :) I have had quite a few clients with babies who had eczema who have been able to use this baby soap over others. 

Are your scents all fragrance oils or essential oils or a combination of both?
I use a combination of both, but the fragrance oils I use are all phlalate free. My facial products only have essential oils because of the benefits they provide for your skin.

Do you think a bath melt is better than a bath bomb?
It’s probably a matter of preference, but I like the bath melts better because they are so moisturizing. I also like that you get more “bang for your buck” with bath melts; I sell them in sets of eight which is good for eight baths versus the one bath you will get from a bath bomb.

I asked her to tell a little about herself.
We live in beautiful North Carolina. I love that we can be in the mountains or at the beach with just a short drive. I am married to the love of my life and have two small children (ages 4 and 1). I became a work-from-home Mom when our second child was born which is wonderful. I love that I am able to be at home with my children and work on building my business at the same time. I have the best of both worlds and feel very blessed. 


When and why did you decide to start creating bath and beauty products?
Several years ago, I made a gift basket of handmade goods for a family member. She loved what I made, so I started making them for other family members and friends. They started encouraging me to try selling what I was making. I found that I loved the creative side of making products, not to mention that everything was all natural, so the hobby quickly turned into a business venture for me. 


How long have you been making bath and beauty products?
I have been creating handmade products for approximately 4 years.


Do you also sell at Craft shows, etc or just on the web?
Yes, I do local craft shows occasionally but most of my focus is in my online stores right now. I will probably do more craft shows in the future as my children get older, but they are so young right now that I don’t want to leave on weekends to do the travel necessary for shows that are too far away.

Where do you get your inspiration from to decide what to make and what scents to have available?
It is interesting where you can find inspiration once you get into a hobby like this. Sometimes it’s as close as the kitchen! Most of my bakery type scents can be found in calorie free versions of the real thing like soap cupcakes, mini bundt cakes, or chocolate covered strawberry soaps. I also find myself looking at molds of all kinds to see if I can turn them into a soap, etc. The creative part of this is what is so much fun for me. I love it. 

Facebook: Find me on Facebook
pininterest
Etsy Store:Etsy Shop
Craft Cafe Shop