Scrubby Soap Saver

For my next crochet project, I had a lot of fun making a scrubby soap holder/saver contraption. I found some vibrant cotton yarn and a couple of patterns and modified them. For the basic holder structure, I used this pattern: http://dragonfaeriee.blogspot.com/2009/03/soap-pockets.html
But then, for a twist of sorts, I used this pattern of alternating short and tall stitches to make scrubby nubs on my soap saver: http://crochetme.com/media/p/95270.aspx And the final product works beautifully! Saves my soap scraps, washes me up really well, and looks pretty, too. Useful, eco-friendly, and didn't take weeks to complete!

Hello Spring

I bought myself some tulips....just as a reminder that even though the forecast for this weekend includes snow, Spring is on the way!

Etsy Twitter Team: Shop of the Week: kimwhitecreations 3/15 to 3/21

Etsy Twitter Team: Shop of the Week: kimwhitecreations 3/15 to 3/21


This weeks Shop of the Week (SOTW), kimwhitecreations, is run by the lovely Kim White. Within Kim's shop you will find knit and crochet wearable and usable art. "I like to call my creations, Creative Mentionables! I make Care Shawls and Lap Wraps which are like a warm hug for a loved one. I also knit Coffee Cozies that are like a warm sweater for your coffee cup. I have a Cozy Closet full of Slouches, Caps, Beanies, Scarves, Granny Square Purses and more!"

Kim is inspired to create from family and friends, seasons, colors, foods, and the feel and colors of fabric and yarn. Within her products she offers "creative mentionables...literally wearable/usable pieces of art! I put love and care into every piece I create. If you shop regularly on Etsy, you can appreciate that. I like to buy handmade things as well, and understand the time and effort it takes to produce a quality product. "

Kim's Twitter tricks of the trade: "It's all about relationships. Business is personal, so getting to know my customers, their needs and wants through Twitter has been beneficial for me personally and professionally. I have met some great people, promoted my Etsy shop, found some other wonderful artists. I can promote and purchase from my daily business.Daily tweets about my business and fun/interesting tweets about my personal life keep my Twitter account fresh, fun and follow-able!"

Her favorite thing (scratch that the thing she loves the most) about her craft is when "customer(s) lets me know how their purchase from me, has been a huge hit with the recipient. It really touches me when a Care Shawl or Lap Wrap has been given to a widow, or used for an ill family member."
This year Kim's goal for her shop is "To continue to build relationships with my existing customers, and to grow my customer base. That's tied with adding more Care Shawls to my shop, and continuing to create more custom-order Care Shawls."

This week only Kim is offering our readers:
Any Coffee Cozy FREE with a $50 or more purchase before shipping-just let me know your Coffee Cozy selection in message to seller.
(I will ship internationally if requested.)

To learn more about Kim and her beautiful creations visit her at:

TWITTER ADDRESS http://twitter.com/kimwcreations

FB PAGE http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kim-White-Creations/450797680577?ref=mf
BLOGhttp://kimwhitecreations.tumblr.com/
Written by Jen.
Jenco13.etsy.com
PS-- March marks crochet month ;) Happy crocheting to all!!

Wordless Wednesday

New Spring Soaps!

In my Etsy shop! Pineapple Crush is a juicy, delicious tropical paradise-type scent. All about the pineapple, this scent takes me right back to Hawaii, eating fresh pineapple on the beach. yum
And a sneak preview: Fuzzy Navel, coming soon! A fun, fruity blend of fuzzy peach and bright citrus-y navel orange. Just like sipping cocktails poolside.

Crocheted Blanket Project-Phase 2

Half a blanket! Very exciting! It's coming along well, and I think I've got the hang of these pretty shell and V stitches. It's going to look so good on the bed. I like how it drapes and is cozy but not too heavy. I also learned how to change yarn when my skein runs out. woot! That feels like such a huge accomplishment. Now I'll be able to change colors for my next project, if I so choose. I'm already thinking ahead to all the things I want to make next. I warned my husband that our house is going to turn into Crochet Land. I'm thinking soapy related things next like washcloths, soap saver bags, and dish towels. Fun! Here's a photo of it draped over the white chair for contrast:

Clarisonic After 2 Months

Two months of using my Clarisonic Face Scrubber: I determined after the first month that once a day was actually a little too much for my face. I experienced some acne break outs and decided to try just twice a week. That has turned out to be the magic number for my face. After a month of scrubbing twice a week, my skin has cleared back up and looks better than ever. It makes sense to treat the Clarisonic as a mask treatment, as it probably exfoliates approximately the amount that a typical facial mask or gentle enzyme peel/mask would. It gets rid of more dead skin than say, a washcloth or manual non-sonic facial brush does, so it can be easy to over-exfoliate. The instructions with it claim that you can use it up to twice a day, but I'm guessing that would only work for tougher, oilier skin types. My skin is pretty sensitive, and lots of products cause irritation. I'm not even sure I would recommend twice a day to really oily skin. Perhaps once a day. Anyway, with using the Clarisonic in place of a mask, and continuing to use my regular skin care regimen, I'm getting compliments on how good my skin looks. yay!!

Failures. Ugh

I can be pretty hard on myself when things don't turn out right. Soap batches in particular. Sometimes a certain scent will cause the young soapyness mixture to rebel, overheat, separate, ooze, turn into miserable ugliness. Sometimes it can be saved as ugly soap. Sometimes it's lost forever. Oh how it makes me sad for a long time. Soap gremlins. The bane of my existence. Now, with making other things I can get frustrated as well, but usually not to the point of huddling in a ball of tears. Things like yarn that's all splitty when I'm trying to crochet. (stay, yarn, stay!) A pattern that is not really looking like it's supposed to look. Trying to sew curtains and getting a crazy crooked stitch line. Lotion that doesn't set up like it should. (ah liquid slathering) Lip balm tops that break off where they shouldn't. Labels that print crooked. These things are more like everyday annoyances. Like traffic backups and long lines at the market. But the soap gremlins, they make me terribly upset every time. I'm trying to work on that. Especially right this minute as I am desperately hoping to salvage a new messed up batch. I'm pretty good at punting normally. There are times when you have to do a quick move to a plan B that hasn't even been laid out yet. I'm not bad at seeing when something just isn't working and moving along. But, the soap gremlins make me ill. Have I mentioned that already? ugh.

Etsy Twitter Team: Shop of the Week: Mikiye Creations

Etsy Twitter Team: Shop of the Week: Mikiye Creations

This week's shop of the week is run by the lovely: Mikiye Narita. In her shop, Mikiye Creations, you can find various types of jewelry and Specialize in designing one of a kind customized hair accessories. "I am constantly learning and being inspired by my Brides. They always have me on my toes when it comes to creating their one of a kind pieces, many of which are heirloom quality for their Special Day. It's so fantastic to always be striving to be the best I can be and creating heirloom pieces that they will cherish forever."

When interviewing Mikiye she told me a little about herself.

"I grew up in a family full of artistic women and was bit by the art bug early in life. I have always loved keeping myself involved with anything that I can express my talents in. I spent 15+ years working as a Professional celebrity Makeup artist in Los Angeles and about 7 years ago began my love affair with making flowers. It wasn't long until my clients and friends were asking me to make them flowers and accessories so it was a natural move to start my own business. I am completely self taught so it's great fun for me to see how far I have come and how much my skills and techniques have improved!"

As an artist the world that surrounds us normally inspires us to create. (well at least that's what my art teacher taught me in elementary school) For Mikiye she is inspired by "history! Art History was one of my favorite classes!I just drooled over the elaborate clothing and accessories. The paintings, colors and representations of opulence drove me wild! I try to incorporate that richness into my work. Little inklings of it here and there. I think my attention to detail and high quality help bring my passion to fruition. Everything in fashion can be traced back to the beginnings and I love to pick and choose from each era a little something special and add my own twist."

Mikiye's trick of twitter is as follows: "I really enjoy getting to know people on twitter. It is such an easy way to see what people are up to. I check out new items my friends tweet about as well as just see what they are up to.I like to make sure I comment/interact with others and I always like to share something I find interesting that another person has tweeted about.Definitely take the time to get to know who's on there because it is amazing the tight knit family that can actually develop when you really pay attention to who's doing what.Frankly, it's just A LOT of FUN!"

As all of our members have Mikiye has shared her business resolutions for the New Year. "One of my business resolutions is to get my personal site up!Literally, this has been in the making for the last 5 years and keeps falling through the cracks.I can't wait to have this available for my clients!"

Mikiye is offering our readers the following special this week:

FREE U.S. SHIPPING on all purchases. Please add SOTW in notes to seller to redeem this. Shipping will be refunded through Paypal.

To learn more about this shop please use the handy links below:

TWITTER ADDRESS http://www.twitter.com/mikiyecreations
FB PAGE http://www.facebook.com/mikiyecreations
BLOG http://www.mikiyecreations.blogspot.com/

Think Spring! UWIB Promo

I am so glad Spring is on the way! The sun is up earlier...you know, when I am! The birds are out, the sun is shining, and now the snow is starting to melt. Huzzah! Some of our UWIB members' Etsy shops and independent businesses are having different promotions inspired by Spring. Qualifying items for each shop vary, so please see each individual shop for their promotion.

Etsy shops participating will have a shop announcement: Unique Women in Business Etsy Team will be having a THINK SPRING event starting Friday, March 5th thru Monday, March 8th. Search using UWIBSPRING to find all shops/items participating.

Here is the thread for more information and to see who is participating: http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6434845

To immediately start searching, click here.


Independent Businesses participating:
Charms~N~Things
http://www.naughtyandnicelingerie.com - Fast free shipping within the USA, dollar rewards and free gifts
http://www.dove-chocolate-discoveries.com/tammyreed - 20% off any purchase
http://www.zibbet.com/faerycharming
http://glitzyevents.com - I'll be having a $25.00 off any invitation order of $300 or more. Use promo code THINKSPRING at check-out March 5th-8th at http://glitzyevents.com and click Shop.



Please help us spread the word by blogging, Facebooking, or tweeting about this event.

You can learn more about UWIB here: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/Unique-women-in-buisness/