I heart Austin, TX

I am officially in love with Austin. I went for a visit with two of my girlfriends from college just over two weeks ago. I miss it already. We had a blast hanging out and doing the things we like best such as eating great food (I am still talking about the breakfast tacos),

cupcake trailer!

trailer park eatery's...heck yes

our very exciting happy hour appetizers from South Congress Cafe

discovering great shops and of course soap,

south of congress shops

smelling soap in the giant Whole Foods

listening to great live music and we got real crazy....

mine is the oak leaf in the center

by getting tattoos (that sounds wild but we've each been thinking about getting one for a while)!

It wasn't all fun and games while in Austin ;). I made a few product drops at a few stores (see here and here). I am really hoping to pick up some new clients to help get my products out there! Send me all your good vibes.

Happy 2011...I am back!

This is a view from the top of the zip line tower in Justin Herman Plaza in SF...yes I went for it!

Whew....yet again a bit of a hiatus from the blogging, but I am back and I have a plan and some goals to help me get it together. Speaking of which, I am working on my 2011 goals (I dont like resolutions) right now using tips from a few of my favorite blogs like Soap Queen and Indie Business. I plan on posting them soon. Do you have any tips/tricks to share??

Post Turkey Day Sale

pumpkin spice, chai tea and ginger orange peel soap

I tend to be a last minute Holiday shopper but in an effort to mend my ways and help others I am having a Post Turkey Day Sale. Everything in my shop will be 15% off November 26 – 29. Plus, if you spend $35 in product you get free US shipping. If you happen to be a newsletter subscriber you get an additional 15% off – sign up here. Happy Shopping!

p.s. my fellow SF Etsian’s are also having a sale – check out the shops that are offering discounts here.

Update

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green sand beach in Hawaii

Wow, it has been a while since I’ve blogged. A lot has happened both personally and businesswise in the last few months, so I figure I should give everyone a little update. Since my last major post in July, I’ve signed a few new wholesale accounts (more about those later), gotten a great blog mention (here is the link in case you missed it), debuted a new product, been on a mad soaping mission, went on an amazing trip to Hawaii and got myself engaged.

the beach where we got engaged

I am excited about all the changes in my life and a little nervous too (not about the marriage part, I swear). I get nervous that things are moving too fast, or not fast enough, that I’m not doing enough, that I I need to delegate more, etc. A friend of mine put things into perspective for me the other day when he mentioned how proud and amazed he is at how far I’ve come. It really made me think.

contemplative moment in Kona

I rarely take time to reflect on how much I’ve accomplished, I’m almost always focused on what needs to be done or what I haven’t done yet. I am not saying that I should be constantly looking back but I think it would help put things in perspective if I did a little check in once in a while. I think one of the best ways to accomplish this is to get back on track with my blog. It will give me the opportunity to see how far I’ve come. Please help me keep up with my new vow, I need your support!

one of the feral horses in the waipio valley

Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone had a great day with lots of treats!

p.s. we had our very first trick-or-treaters tonight after 6 years in the city with nothing and had no candy for them...figures

(Etta + Billie) + (Fig + Sage) = Love

Over a year ago I set up a Google news feed for Etta + Billie, after months of getting links to posts about Billie Holiday and Etta James, yesterday I finally received something amazing...a real live amazing blog post about Etta + Billie on one of my favorite blogs Fig + Sage. I was so excited I'm pretty sure I squealed and completely freaked out my co-worker. Fig + Sage is all about organic and eco-finds so its right up my alley. She found me completely randomly from Facebook and Twitter (social media does work!) from a mutual friend clicking like on my Facebook Page. I am ecstatic about the review and am thankful for the exposure from the lovely ladies at Fig + Sage, special thanks goes to Stancie - you totally rock!

Check out the post here

I just got another google alert for a re-post over at Wellsphere here

Happy Fourth!!

Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend with friends and family, lots of BBQ and a few beers. I wanted to share a great recipe that my Mister and I made a few weeks ago. Its a perfect easy to make 4th of July dessert that sounds fancy - Strawberry Blueberry Shortcakes with Brown Sugar Biscuits and Balsamic Black Pepper Syrup.

The original recipe is here (thank you Bon Apetite),we made the following changes: Substituted all the regular sugar for brown sugar to create our brown sugar biscuits; used a mix of fresh strawberries and blueberries and plenty of whip cream (red, white and blue!); Mister used star shaped cookie cutters to make the biscuits extra special. Enjoy!! Happy Fourth of July!