Showing posts with label shop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shop. Show all posts

Monday, April 4, 2016

The cool thing about custom crochet...

One of the cool things about being able to crochet or ordering custom crochet is that you can make things or buy them in any color scheme you can come up with.  I have many times come up with an idea in my head about a pillow or bedspread that I want, only to not be able to actually find it in those colors.  Now I can imagine and create anything I want! 

(Of course I had to promise my husband I wouldn't be an old lady with her whole house covered in crochet.)

I have been crocheting and creating so many different things lately, that I completely forgot that sometimes it's ok to make something just for me!  We are awaiting our new couch, which we are so excited about since our current couch was very inexpensive and now after 8 years and 3 small boys is very beat up.  So now I am finally taking a break from making things for others or my shop, and spending a few evenings making something just for me - a pillow to match our new couch and new rug in our living room, and coordinate it with our paint colors.  And I don't have to shop for it or spend hours on the internet searching for what I want, I can simply imagine and create!

Need something new for your new home, new room, or just want something to update your current décor?  Visit my shop to get pattern ideas, and then simply imagine!  Or have you seen something online that I don't have in my shop?  Send me a link to check it out and let me see if I can create it for you.  I love learning new patterns!

My basket weave stitch pillow started!




Wednesday, March 30, 2016

They're here!

They're here!
My monsters are finally done!


I worked until I had the pattern the way I liked it, and my newest additions to the shop - Ooof and Devilooof are complete.  They also come with certificates of adoption, which I think adds a little fun, too.  I love how they turned out, and I think you will, too. 
Love the pattern and want to try making one for yourself?  It's all crochet in the round, so it's not too difficult to make.  Email or fb message me if you want to give it a try and I'll give you the pattern for my Ooof. 
Click on the link right here to check them out ~ My monsters!

Monday, March 21, 2016

Soap!

Packaging up the soaps


So years ago my awesomely crafty sister in law gave all her sister in laws and sisters wonderful handmade soaps for a gift at Christmas, and has done so almost annually since.  I didn't know when she gave us that first soap how she made them or how long it took to do it.  I honestly didn't even know that people made their own homemade soaps!  But I thought it smelled amazing and was a really neat gift.  They were so cute with their country look and wrapping that I couldn't bring myself to actually use them, so I kept them as a part of my bathroom décor. 

In recent years I have been trying to eliminate chemicals in my home in an attempt to help keep my family healthier, though I am by no means a "crunchy/granola mama."  So I decided to break down and actually use these adorable soap bars that I knew had much less unreadable chemicals in them.  I loved them!  But only getting one at Christmas time every year meant that I didn't have enough to use for very long (and still wanted a couple of bars for decorations - they are so darn cute!).  I then looked into making cold process soap myself.  I mean, I was already making my own liquid laundry soap and dishwasher detergent, I figured it couldn't be that big a deal. 
Whoa (read that as Keanu Reeves!)
A little more in depth than I was looking for.
Um...  No.  I was not going to make soap right now.  Using lye and needing eye protection?!?  Waiting 6 weeks for it to be ready?!?  Not for me.  I will just have to wait till next Christmas to get more from my sister in law that I was in awe of at the moment for taking on such a daunting task, or order some from Etsy.

Well it's now a few years later.  I am helping to run an essential oil of the month club, where each month we send out a top secret oil, a recipe card, and most if not all the things needed to make the recipe (let me know if you are interested in joining in the fun in our spOILed club!).  For March it is actually 2 awesome oils, and the recipe was for melt and pour soap using Rosemary oil.  I.  Love.  It.  I love researching the soap recipes to make, getting the supplies ready, making the actual soaps, everything!  I think it is so neat to make my own soaps, and my kids just love to use them.  I want to do more.  I want to make more.  I want to try my hand at packaging it and selling my very own soaps, so I'm selling mini soaps in my Etsy and Scott's Marketplace shops and putting them out for sale at Bowman's Home and Garden Store.  And now I am ready to make the cold process soap!

So I ordered all the ingredients and supplies I will need to make my first batch of goat's milk soap.  My package should arrive in the mail any day now.  I will show you pics from my first batch and let you know how it goes! 



Monday, March 14, 2016

Grand Re-Opening!!

So after much internal debate, I decided to redo and re-open my Etsy Shop!  I like that Scott's Marketplace is new and small and ONLY for handcrafted items, but Etsy just has so much more feedback and features since it's been around for a while and has such a big online presence.  So now I decided to  have a store in both!

I am all fired up and have worked tirelessly to get it up and running (ok, that's a lie, I AM tired) over the weekend.  It was worth the work; I am really happy with how it turned out.  "If you build it they will come..."(did that date me?) 

Check out what I've got goin' on!  

www.etsy.com/shop/essentiallymelanie