Introducing Unkamengifts

Proud members of the SHE Team(Schooling at Home Etsians), the Helmrich family is a creative bunch! They have taken the Buy Handmade Pledge, and love to make all their gifts for each other.

Leah, now 15, began making jewelry 3 years ago after a fellow RVing friend showed her a few of the basics. She took right to it and loved making jewelry for herself, and friends. Shortly after, she started selling it locally. She now also makes FlowerChildren and is proud to now have her own shop, favmoongirl.

About the same time, her brother Byron, now age 11, started collecting interesting rocks and polishing them with his dad's help. He found that he enjoyed selling them as gratitude rocks, because the root of true happiness is being grateful for everything that you have.

Recently their dad, Ralph made a necklace for their mom, Karen and got such a charge out of seeing her wear it that he decided to learn more and make more. He specializes in chainmaille at the moment because Leah can't stand working with all those little jump rings! Karen enjoys it all and helps whomever needs it; whether with photographing, test driving, and assisting with creating the marvelous jewelry, gratitude rocks and FlowerChildren.

The family calls Livingston, TX, their home but spend about 6 months a year traveling in their other home, a 40 foot RV. The kids are homeschooled, and always have been. They love being homeschooled and all the great opportunities that they have been given!!

Introducing Chantel and Me

I began Chantel and Me to give myself an outlet for my photo hobby. I enjoy taking shots of nature, and am so thankful God has blessed us with an abundance of beauty and color. I also enjoy taking pictures of odd things, like a series I'd like to do called "Bee Hineys"(pics coming soon in the shop), or an old forgotten cemetery planted deep in the woods. Since my sweet husband gifted me with a wonderful camera I love looking for those unique shots. I like to take an everyday picture and digitally enhance it to become something special.

I also envision Chantel and Me having some mixed media items and some sewn items. I'd like to get back into drawing and try out some watercolor and acrylic painting. Those plans are still in the making. Watch soon to see what Chantel and Me becomes.

Be sure and check back often to see new things listed. If you click on these photos you will go to the page where they are available.

Introducing CypressLakeSoaps

I love that our team is getting so many new members. I want to introduce you to one of our newest. Be sure and click on the photos to go to her store items.

Cypress Lake Soaps
Cypress Lake Soap is a family business that draws inspiration from nature.

In the search for a milder, safer, more environmentally friendly alternative to commercial soap, we began to make our own using only natural ingredients.

What makes our soap different?
Our soap is truly different from commercial grade products. These soaps are created using only vegetable oils, essential oils, and other products found in nature, such as vegetable fibers and powders, as well as, herbs and spices, and natural clays for their color, texture, interest, fragrance, and their nutritive properties. Our soap base starts off with a mixture of quality ingredients such as olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil and castor oil. All of these products come together to form a wonderful, all natural soap with a luxurious lather that also retains its natural glycerin to pamper your skin and senses.

What you will never find in our soap!
They will never contain chemical or synthetic fragrance oils, synthetic dyes or any other synthetic ingredients, sodium laurel sulfate or any other types of detergents, petroleum products, or artificial preservatives.

How we make our soap!
Every bar is a unique creation because they are made in small batches using the cold-process method. Each batch is hand stirred, and poured into molds, when it is ready the individual bars are cut and cured for up to six weeks. This time is used to further develop the mildness of the bars and to allow time for them to harden. No two bars will ever be exactly alike. We think you will enjoy our soap as much as we enjoy creating it.

Welcome our new SHE team member!

I am Lynn and I am new to Etsy and blogging and fancy computer skills.

I have been selling on E-Bay for 3.5 yrs, but not my own handmade items. I sew, my mom sewed, grandma sewed, great grandma sewed etc. Thats where the name HazelKinCreations came from. Our family's legacy is sewing.

Be sure and check out Lynn's shop. If you click on the picture of the skirt it will take you there.

What's New at Wit's End?

Just wanted to introduce myself and tell you what's new at Wit's End this weekend!

My name is Ginny and my Etsy shop is www.ginnymae.etsy.com ~ Handcrafted at Wit's End (so named because that pretty much sums up my mental state). I feature restyled vintage items like decoupage boxes, rusty ol' horse shoes, old silverware-turned- windchimes and purses and totes made from old feed sacks and quilt tops. I also have teeny tiny hares and bears now and again ~ they come to me in spurts. I really enjoy hunting for old feed and grain sacks and making purses, though! Mothers back in the old days repurposed those old sacks into all kinds of nifty things, so I'm not really doing anything new or inventive, I just gave it a new twist.

I am a country girl presently trapped within city limits, although you'd never know it to walk out my back door. I have a little pond, a small flock of hens, a turkey, a goose and I'm on a waiting list for some Babydoll sheep this spring. If I have to live within "city" limits, at least my soul can be in the country... My house is a 108 yr old Victorian and my hubby and I just rehabbed the original summer kitchen out back last year, where I have my little studio. I like it
because I have a great view of my poultry and I can sew or craft until the wee hours of the morning and not bother anyone. It does happen when I get on a roll. ;0)

And speaking of sewing, I'm working on some new purses made from unusual vintage feed sacks. Hopefully I'll get them listed this weekend. I'm having a sale on hares and bears and offering free shipping in my Etsy shop all weekend, so come and see my stuff! I'm always interested in custom orders, so convo me if you have a question or suggestion.

Be happy.
ginny
Click on either photo to go to the listing for this item. Be sure and check out things this weekend while there is free shipping and hares and bears are one sale!

Dig Out Your Box of Crayons!

Leave it to a SHEteam member to use a box of crayons to help her decide what color names to use...

Because I'm a homeschooling mom of older kids, I actually have an intact box of 96 Crayola crayons. Not so when they were younger; back then, the best we could do was a plastic box with a bunch of nekkid crayon stubs.

When listing items on my etsy shop, I usually try to use color words in addition to my photos. Computer screens differ, and I try to err on the side of too much information, rather than too little.

So, I get out the trusty box of crayons and start comparing. Today's color names include spring green and sky blue.

BTW, these spring green and sky blue dishcloths are for a friend, and so are not clickable (or buyable). Stay tuned for more colors with unique names...

--Lona at ShadySideFarm

What's New?

I have been extremely busy this past week doing special orders and working on organizing our Etsy team. It is such a balancing act trying to school my three, chase the little one around and find time to work on my listings, make jewelry and... How about some clean clothes too?

I work best late at night when things quiet down and I can just work. Here are a couple new things that I made this week.

Here is an Easter cross. Just a touch of color added and the dove charms.



I just can't seem to get away from these wonderful blues and green. I love these colors and could work with them all day. This necklace is a new idea for me.


Please note, if you click on the images we show in our posts, they will take you to the listing on Etsy.

Watch for new work from our other team members soon.

What's New?

I spend a fair amount of time waiting at piano lessons, dentist/doctor offices, etc. My main love, rug weaving, is not a portable craft. So I bring along my favorite crochet hook (size G), and some 100% cotton yarn and make dishcloths. Something soothing and virtuous about keeping my hands busy during otherwise-idle times.

Here's a photo of my latest set:
(if you click on the photo it will take you to the listing)

Watch for more "What's New" Posts. We'll also be running some introduction posts, so that you can meet the SHEteam members.

Lona, from ShadySideFarm