Think Etsy for Christmas!

Well, it's that time of year again! Pomegranates are in the grocery stores (sorry, I'm hungry:D), and people are getting their Christmas music out! One of my absolute favorite websites to browse around is Etsy. Of course, I do have an Etsy site with jewelry that I sell and there is a link to that on the side of the page... BUT this post is to share some unique gift ideas I found from other shops while browsing! If you've never visited Etsy I really recommend doing it and browsing around for yourself. You really can find some treasures!

For the one who loves drinking tea:
Herbal Tea Kit with DIY Teabags and Recipes
Owl Tea Bag Holders
Watermelon Peach Mango Tea

For lovers of yummy smells:
Tropical Soy Candles
Wood Incense Burner Holders
Aromatherapy Travel Size Scrubs
Elf Sweat Perfume Stix

For the chocolate lover:
Chocolate Petals Exfoliating Lip Butter
Chocolate Espresso Cake Truffles
Half Pound of Peppermint Bark

For the Accessory Lover:
Cashmere Flower Wrist Warmers
Spaghetti Scarf
Leather Rose Flower Wrap
Asymmetrical Teal Dangle Earrings
Antique Gold Pendant Necklace

For now that's all... but I really love browsing Etsy, so there may be a couple more posts like this before Christmas! Have a wonderful and blessed day:)

Photography things

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before that I LOVE photography! I worked with Herff Jones as a school photographer last year and that's when I discovered how much I loved it. Since then, I've learned SO much! Someday, I may try and turn it into a side business once I've had more experience and I feel like my photos are up to par. But for now, I'm just having fun with it. Here are a few of my favs that I've taken this first year of having my dslr.

I'm back!

Well, I disappeared for a little bit because I lost my login info! I tried like crazy to get into it a few weeks back but couldn't figure it out, and randomly decided to try again tonight so here I am!

For my promised update with going (sham)pooless... well, it didn't work for me and I'm back to using my old shampoo and loving the way my hair feels MUCH better with it! After struggling with just using water, and sometimes using vinegar I just couldn't get the grease out. So, that was my green experiment for the summer!

I have two main hobbies right now: photography, and jewelry making. I am discovering that both demand a great deal of my time and I can't decide which to go full steam ahead with, and which to put on the back burner. For now, I am kind of flip flopping between the two.

Kenny is STILL waiting to hear from the Army to schedule this last appointment so we can start making plans to move. The military really must love this waiting stuff!!

Well, this was really a rambly post, but I'm just excited I figured out how to get back on here!

If you are interested, check out the following flickr link to see some of my fav pics posted, and if you are bored check out my Etsy as well and give your two cents as to which you'd rather see me continue with. Not that I will make my decision of which hobby to seriously pursue based on people's opinions, but sometimes all it takes is one comment from a different perspective to help out.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lalasphotography

Cargoh: A new Etsy?

While browsing through the Etsy forums tonight I came across an interesting thread discussing http://www.cargoh.com People were talking about this being the next Etsy and how they thought it would do well, so I decided to take a look! Once I got there I fell in love with the site! It has the same idea as Etsy, in that it's a place for artists and handcrafters to sell their wares. I love the way they have their categories set up, and it has a more modern feel than Etsy which seems like it fits me better. On a whim I decided to make a shop there and then I was amazed at the options they have! I won't get into an intense comparison because that would be boring! But let's just say that Cargoh offers A LOT more options to evaluate my store and my sales. So, fellow Etsians... I encourage you to check it out! Fellow online shoppers, I also encourage you to check it out! It's amazing to see some of the things people make, and how creative the human brain can be!

Jewelry Trends

I am asking for YOUR help:) I've been reading up on jewelry trends for this coming fall, and I'm starting to think about the holiday season and what people will want. So, I want your opinions! A favorite color you are gravitating toward lately? Simple pieces? Chunky pieces? Lots of bold bright colors? Silver? Gold? Anything you'd like to offer, I'd love to hear, even if it's just a little snippet.

No shampoo...?

For those of you who follow me on facebook, remember when I posted a link about not using shampoo a few weeks back? Here's the link again to refresh your memory, and for those who don't know what I'm talking about...
http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/natural-beauty-fashion/stories/bubble-trouble

(Sorry, I tried to insert the link to make it clickable but for some reason that made it disappear so you'll have to copy and paste.)

Well, I've decided to go for it! I'm actually into this experiment a week and a half now. I'll be honest, though. My hair does feel pretty nasty, but according to the article people with curly hair rave about this method and since I have naturally curly hair I'm hoping I'll see a difference once the oil glands in my head stop working overtime! The plan is to go for a full month and once I reach that point I'll give my report to you guys;)

In other news, I'm proud to announce that today I am celebrating my first sale on Etsy! After waiting for three months, I literally jumped up out of the couch and did a little victory dance around the living room complete with squeals and everything, haha! So today is a good day:)

I've decided to give this blogging thing a try again... We'll see how it goes, but I can't promise how often I'll update;) I come across all sorts of things on the internet that I'd like to save and share. I think that this can be a good way to do both:) However, I should still probably start book marking some of them anyways because it's probably a little ridiculous that I have 3 firefox windows up, with a minimum of 5 tabs on one, and a max of 13 on another!

Well, back to that whole sharing thing! I came across the CUTEST Etsy shop tonight while I was going through their forums, and I thought all of you mothers (or sock animal collector) would really love this: http://www.etsy.com/shop/TreacherCreatures

This shop seriously has some adorable little sock animals, check it out!

Well, I guess that does it for now. Until next time!

La:)