Speak Your Mind and Tell Me Your Valentines Wish List

When I began making skin care products began years ago, you couldn’t find many choices when it came to suppliers and the internet wasn’t exactly something everyone had access to. I was still trying to find most of my suppliers the old fashioned way, word of mouth or resource material in natural health books and those were even few and far between those days. So much has changed, hasn’t it? Now there are so many options when it comes to finding good quality fragrance and essential oils at a reasonable price..it makes my head spin! But it has always been important to me, it’s the heart and core of my business.
Good skin care starts with the ingredients. Now granted, I can’t say i haven’t been tempted to choose cheaper oils for convenience sake and to save a little money here and there, but that bar of soap you told me you loved and made your skin feel so pampered and calming after a long hard day at work wouldn’t have been the same if I chose to buy supplies based solely on the next latest and greatest scent or fad. I want my products to melt away your worries, if only for 15 minutes and then I want what you want; skin that feels fantastic and leaves you feeling rejuvenated all day long.
When you have to hide that bar of soap in a drawer away from your daughter, I know I’m on the right track. So heads up, I’m preparing for Valentines my loves and I want your input! This is your chance to speak your mind before my order goes in tomorrow. What do you want for Valentine’s Day? Go ahead, tell me what products you would like to see in your hands and all over your body.

I’ve already have a very long list started and it’s growing, don’t be shy let me know what essential oil or skin care products you need the most.

Happy New Year Southern Style!

Happy New Year Farm Friends! While we’re not much on making New Year’s resolutions, we do enjoy a southern approach to celebrating and that of course would be with food. However we did celebrate last night by shooting off the potato gun This first day of the New Year calls for a heapin’ plate of greens, beans (black eyed peas), cornbread and of course sweet tea, southern style. A simple meal, that’s good for ya (unless you drink too much sweet tea). So thankful for family and friends to spend it with.
Brian and I wish you all a beautiful New Year, no matter how you celebrate it.
Photo links:
1. Cornbread, 2. Black-Eyed Peas, 3. Greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeens, 4. sweet tea

What makes you come alive?

This weekend has been fairly quiet, except for the four or five hours Brian and I spent at Zack’s last swim meet…the last one of the school year (or maybe ever). That’s because it is Zack and Trevor’s senior year and in just a matter of months they will each receive a diploma and walk out of high school for the last time.

HOOOOORRAY !!!!

And let me tell you, they have BIG DREAMS!!!

I can’t personally say I know what it feels like to graduate high school with my class, in fact I left in the middle of my senior year because I was pregnant with our first child (who has grown up to be so wonderful and graduated five years ago, couldn’t be more proud of him). I however, made the decision to take my G.E.D. when I was seventeen, because it was the right thing for me at the time.

I can honestly say, I went through some rough teen years, but thankful God was with me and not only helped me through, but helped me thrive.

However, at seventeen I never stopped DREAMING BIG just because I was a teen mom. In fact if anything it fueled my passion and drive to create a better life for both my son and myself. My big dream at the time was to become a nail technician, which was some twenty four years ago, when not too much was even known about that profession, hard to believe now.

See, no matter what I never missed a class. Sure I was tired, from staying up all night with my son, stressed because of the tough situation I found myself in, but and this is a BIG BUT, I was passionate about something bigger than myself. And you know what? That passion is what helped me graduate nail school and for years I enjoyed being one of the best darn nail techs around!

The only real difference at the time, in me and any other teenager trying to follow and achieve their big dreams was I had much bigger mountains to climb to get there.

Let me take you back just a minute to Elementary school. Do you remember being told you could be anything you wanted to be?

Do you remember a time when that awesome feeling of freedom and adventure filled your heart and you felt you were just going to pop?? You just knew something exciting was waiting just around the corner?

Have you ever been so interested in a hobby or new found adventure (like rock climbing, sewing, painting, working at home), that just talking about it made you light up with happiness for all the world to see?

That my friend is your passion! That is what makes you come alive!!! And BIG DREAMS are fueled on that alone.

Over the years we all find new things we are passionate about, something you might have been so inspired with a few years ago may not hold umph or va-voom it once did and that’s okay. Like I tell my boys don’t be afraid to explore it all, it’s just another tool you can use later on. Who would have thought my passion for gluing on fake nails, painting them and running my own show would give me the confidence to run my own shop online one day, but it did!

A funny thing happens once we reach high school, things start to turn more serious and we start to feel as though all those wonderful BIG DREAMS, were only dreams and it’s time to grow up, get down to business and pick one thing to do, the rest of your life!

Wowza, what a huge weight for any young person to handle, most adults have trouble with that one on a daily basis.

Of course we have no one to blame but ourselves. Instead of teaching our children to trust in their natural instincts, follow their interests and passions we have put a wet blanket on it. I think maybe that’s the reason most are so dissatisfied with their daily work.

But it’s never too late to jump right in the water and follow your heart to unknown territory. We have taught our boys not to fear, but ask what makes you feel alive and go do it and I hope that’s exactly what they do!

I believe that no matter what your age, you can follow your passions and chase your BIG DREAMS until you catch them…. I believe in you!!

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

Howard Thurman

Infusing Your Creative Soul with Your Business

When it comes to finding ways to make a living with your own hands I could talk for hours on the subject, as well as my husband. We have been working at home for the last 15 years in one form or another, with a few exceptions like last year when I took a nanny job, which was exactly what I needed in order to take a step back and evaluate everything, breaks are good for creative minds.

Because my husband and I have such a huge heart for the handmade community sometimes we have been known to strike up conversations with artisans at craft fairs, spewing our business ideas at their forehead, as if it were a game show {we love to talk shop}. We get a bit overzealous to share sometimes, but just can’t help it. I enjoy helping other like-minded individuals who have made it a living to combine their creative soul with making a living.

However, like most I can find it difficult to implement good ideas from time management to internet marketing. How does one successfully infuse your creative soul with our business? I have made a list of creatives that have gone above and beyond when helping those of us who just need someone to steer us in the right direction. Here’s my list of those who have found that sweet spot in business and life and are willing to share through their workshops and e-books.

A Real Change, Sandi Krakowski {you will love her pink hair and her attitude when it comes to helping others succeed online} I have been taking her free 30 day course on making money with your blog and I can tell you this is the type of course you would pay big money for. She also has daily tips on Facebook and Twitter. She’s real and she’s willing to put herself out there and help others achieve exactly what she has in her own family and business. You will love her story.

Leonie from Goddess Guidebook. A precious creative soul that it’s hard not to love. She has built an entire community around her creative help and encouragement for mothers and business owners. When I’m feeling a bit discouraged her videos always put a smile on my face. She offers support in all avenues of creative business with kind words, positive affirmations and tangible help for your business.

Kelly Rae Roberts. I have followed Kelly’s blog for years now and have enjoyed watching her achieve success at realizing her dreams. She is inspiring and more than helpful when it comes to offering good business advice to artist. Although she has and e-book for creative business owners ahe has now launched Hello Business, Hello Soul an e-course for those looking for a new way to approach their artful business.

Holiday Soap Sale on My Limited Edition Soap Scents

For the month of December I have decided to offer my Fall and Winter Soap Samplers at a Buy 2 Get 1 Free Sale Price, available at my Etsy shop. This is a great time for you to stock up on my limited edition soap scents for that special someone or maybe just treat yourself to some good old fashioned handmade soap that smells out of this world delicious!

The Soap Sampler includes 3 large bars of soap {5 ounces each}, made with a special vegetable base of Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Shea Butter and Goat Milk or Butter Milk and limited edition fragrance oil blends.

Limited Edition Holiday Scents Include:

Peppermint Stick ~ buttermilk soap
Kudzu and Oatmeal
Sweet Orange with Oatmeal and Honey
Country Apple
Pumpkin Spice

Each Soap Sampler will be tied up pretty and would be great to give as a

Stocking Stuffers
{but you might just want to keep it for yourself}.

So Hop on Over to my Etsy Shop to purchase your favorite sampler, all soap will be mailed the day after you make your purchase!

100 little bits of a Monday morning

Monday morning and there has been so much on my mind lately and as my thoughts are racing around in my head about what project to tackle next, all is quiet around me and the rain is gently beating on the tin roof. There are days when everything feels blurry, like today. As an only child I found out how to fill the hours in a day with pure imagination, there was no one to fight or argue with, just daydreaming to be had. I still daydream…..

{I left 2 empty spaces above for you to fill}
Life is filled with so many roads to explore, often times the hardest part is just picking which one to go down first. I sometimes forget to breathe and I hold the air so tight inside my lungs, the meaning of relax escapes me. I know the remedy for this is to daydream and give myself permission to play among the paints and glue even though other work calls my name.

Once the nighttime comes and I can find that moment between twilight and REM sleep is when my thoughts and ideas all start to make complete sense and I can see more clearly and when I wake I quickly scribble down my dreams onto paper.

credits for photos above:
1. find me, 2. On a lone winter evening, when the frost Has wrought a silence., 3. Twilight before Christmas, 4. Things never happen the same way twice, 5. Long song, 6. , 7. Breakfast, 8. sweet williams, 9. IL LABORATORIO, 10. Untitled, 11. yesterday’s anthro loot, 12. kitteh and the ranunculi, 13. ., 14. happy as a mouse, 15. red stripes, 16. .

a bit of solitude

“if you’re happy in your head then solitude is blessed and alone is okay”~ Tanya Davis