Tuesday, April 27, 2010

It's a Terrific Tuesday featuring Lotus Mira

Happy Tuesday! After three straight days of rain, the sun made a brief appearance this morning. The clouds have rolled in again! It was refreshing to discover a new Etsy shop from beautiful Washington, DC, Lotus MiraGe Ephemera Handcrafted Jewelry. The shop owner, MiraGe, is a hard working Graduate student, wife, cat lover, and Boston native studying Law. How does she have time for creating?!? 

She has little pieces of art for your ears, neck, and wrists! Lotus Mira offers handcrafted jewelry and art, composed of found items, vintage artwork and images, and other ephemera. A girl after my own heart! She currently specializes in soldered art. Her future plans are to work with polymer clay and would love to learn lampworking!

I found a lot of information on the profile page of Lotus Mira about MiraGe and her future artistic journey. Something she quoted really stayed with me. "Many people think nothing of spending $100 on a dinner out, but wouldn't spend $100 on a piece of art that they could have forever. It's because they don't value it the same. It's not because they can't afford it."
(taken from http://www.thebeads.com/articles/pricing.phtml) This is so true! Next time you see a piece of art that you would love to own, think of this statement.

I hope you enjoyed learning about the fabulous shop, Lotus Mira. Take a little journey into her world...

Here are some of my favorites from her shop:


 All of the pendants are made with lead-free solder.

GRAND OPENING SALE for Lotus Mira :: Be among the first to buy a four-paneled bracelet, join me on Facebook, or refer a friend -- you can get free items and/or to get up to 20% off! Check my Shop Policies to learn how!
Get to know Lotus Mira a little more and see her mini works of art through her links!
 Enjoy!!
 ------------



Leo and Junie
Jewelry Designs :: Nature & Vintage Inspired
By Christine Steckel

leoandjunie@yahoo.com
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Thursday, April 22, 2010

Celebrate Earth Day with Aquarian Bath

Celebrating Earth Day!!

I found this great shop, Aquarian Bath,  through facebook a few months ago. Cory, the owner of Aquarian Bath, is from sunny Florida. Cory is an herbalist, mother, organic gardener, and soap maker. She offers handmade artisan soaps and products made with pure essential oils and natural ingredients. 

What's better than eco-friendly products?! I recently asked Cory about her efforts to keep her products palm oil free. She said, "My soaps are orangutan friendly. I do not use palm oil, which is a threat to orangutan and rain forest; jungle habitat is cleared to make way for palm plantations. My products are also free from chemical fragrances and artificial dyes."
 
Here is my featured interview of Aquarian Bath ::
Seller name: Cory Trusty
Shop: AquarianBath
 
Shop website: http://www.aquarianbath.com

A little bit about Aquarian Bath ::
 
Products offered: natural soaps, lip balms, herbal salves, flax neck pillows,
natural perfumes
Available for: Herbal speaking engagements or classes, custom soap
batches and lip balms, wholesale natural perfumes, custom herbal
pillows
How did you get your business started?
The first time I ever sold my bath and body products was at the local
Sea Side Herb Society herb fair.  The annual fair is coming up again
this month in Ormond Beach and it will be my 5th year selling.  It is
still my best event of the year.  Since I started selling I've built
up a good number of return local customers and online customers on
etsy and other venues.  I've also discovered what items are the most
popular, etc.

Jasmine Sambac Soap
 
Where do you live? 
Daytona Beach, Florida.

How long have you lived there?
I've lived here since 2003, but my husband grew up here.   Our
daughter is a 5th generation Florida native.

Favorite color?
I love all shades of green.

Favorite smell?
I love the smell of my backyard when the orange tree is blooming.  My
mom's old fashioned roses are another favorite.

 
 Where Cory lives & creates
This is a picture taken a couple miles from my house at a park along
the Halifax River, also known as the Intracoastal waterway.  My
daughter, pictured here, calls it the bunny park though, because there
are wild rabbits living under the board walk.  In the spring there are
Eldertrees blooming and in the Fall there is lots of goldenrod in the
park.

What are your hobbies (other than what you make)?
Favorite way to spend your time?
I love swimming, reading books, and gardening.  Any time I get to hang
out with my girl friends, especially the herbal and nature-girl
friends!
  
Favorite place?
I love the Pacific Northwest which is where I'm from.  It's always
hard to go home to visit, because in the end I don't want to leave.  I
wish I could afford to be a snow bird. 
 
Favorite item in your shop of all time?
Well my favorite for hair is the Carrot Top Shampoo Bar.
It's been very popular and generated a lot of return business from
people who have tried it.  For myself personally I couldn't live
without the Ocean Waves Sea Salt Soap. During the
winter I can tend to get dry itchy skin

Favorite shop that isn’t yours? Why?
I love to window shop at Pimp and Paint.  Her art is functional and
has a nice whimsical and earthy feel.  There are lots of dragonflies
and plenty of green which I love.  She also has a great blog where she
takes you through her creative process. http://www.etsy.com/shop/pimpandpaint

-- 
Follow Aquarian Bath ::
ETSY shop  http://aquarianbath.etsy.com
http://www.aquarianbath.com
http://www.flickr.com/aquarianbath
http://www.twitter.com/aquarianbath
http://www.aquarianbath.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.dj/aquarianbath
 
e-mail: aquarianbath@gmail.com
A big thank you to Cory for allowing me to get a little personal information 
about her and her business!
Natural Soaps & Specialty Salveshttp://aquarianbath.com

❤ Happy Earth Day! Celebrate it today and everyday!
Leo and Junie
Jewelry Designs :: Nature & Vintage Inspired
By Christine Steckel

leoandjunie@yahoo.com
Contact Me EtsyFacebookStumbleUponTwitterBlogger

Monday, April 19, 2010

It's a Marvelous Monday featuring Our Home to Yours

I was thinking about this time of the year and the coming months. You'll see weddings galore! One year I was invited to 5 weddings! Sometimes giving money to someone you are close to is so impersonal. Something from the heart will last a lifetime.

Are you looking for something special from the heart as a wedding gift or your own wedding? I have found a few things that are made from the heart and home by Our Home to Yours from North Carolina and member of the BESTeam (Boosting Etsy Shops Team). They are a Mom (Debbi) and daughter (Amanda) team 1200 miles apart, but together they blend  their creativity and love for crafting. Their new Etsy shop offers hand made hats, baby toys, and blankets, custom made jewelry, paper goods, and knick-knacks.

Here are a few beautiful items perfect for weddings:


A keepsake to preserve a wedding invitation


 Beautifully crocheted in white


 Custom order to your specifications for wedding memories to last a lifetime

To see more from Debbi and Amanda's, Our Home to Yours handcrafted items, visit:


Have a great week!
 
Leo and Junie
Jewelry Designs :: Nature & Vintage Inspired
By Christine Steckel

leoandjunie@yahoo.com
Contact Me EtsyFacebookStumbleUponTwitterBlogger

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

BESTeam featured seller, Conduit Press

For those of you that don't know me that well, I love journals. In fact, my 5 year old daughter is completely addicted to journals, because she's following in my footsteps! I use journals for lists, drawing sketches of jewelry designs that pop into my head, good finds on Etsy and beyond...whatever's on my mind.

My fellow BESTeam member Talia from Indiana, owner of Conduit Press , makes journals, upcycled notebooks, scrapbooks, photo albums, and more.  She is a Mom, artist of various mediums, and has a love for books. She's been creating things since she was a young girl. She opened her Etsy shop almost two years ago and her customers love her careful, detailed work.

I love the idea that the leather she uses in her journals is recycled from a local leather shop. She is currently working on making library cards to put in old librabry books turned into blank notebooks as seen on her blog. That is so cool! It gives it a vintage vibe and also is good for the environment! Here are some of my picks from her shop:








You can find more beautiful items and information about Conduit Press here:


Leo and Junie
Jewelry Designs :: Nature & Vintage Inspired
By Christine Steckel

leoandjunie@yahoo.com
Contact Me EtsyFacebookStumbleUponTwitter

Monday, April 12, 2010

Things to pamper Mom for Mother's Day


I just realized that Mother's Day is less than a month away. WHOA! This month is traveling fast! 
I love browsing through Etsy and finding new things. Here are some Mother's Day finds to oogle over! Each one represents a little piece of me and what I like. I'm sure you will as well! Enjoy...

Handmade Lilly Pulitzer Large Pouch Clutch
For the Mom that loves handbags. I love the bright colors and use of fabric in this bag!
I have bought 2 handbags from her in the past and let me just tell you they are well made bags!



by
These are perfect for a Mom who loves flowers! 
What's better than cheerful sunflowers?



by
This is for the Rockhound Mom who can't get enough of Mother Nature's creations!
Truly a beauty to display proudly!


by
For the bird lover Mom
5% of all sales in this shop will be donated to the the Birds of Prey program. There are 15 raptors in the collection. They all have different injuries and circumstances that bring them to the program. They are non-releasable to the wild, and are housed and fed, and medical needs taken care of with donations from the public.


Well, I hope you enjoyed seeing these beauties. If you click on the name of the shop, it will take you right to their Etsy Stores!

Happy Monday!!


Leo and Junie
Jewelry Designs :: Nature & Vintage Inspired
By Christine Steckel

leoandjunie@yahoo.com
Contact Me EtsyFacebookStumbleUponTwitter
Leo and Junie The Sunshine Award

Sunday, April 11, 2010

The Sunshine Award

Giving thanks to Paradise Purls for honoring me and my blog with The Sunshine Award!


The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity & creativity inspires others in the blog world.
The rules for accepting this award are:-

Put the logo on your blog or within your post.
Pass the award onto 12 bloggers.
Link the nominees within your post.
Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.
 



I happily nominate the following deserving blogs:
All fantastic blogs!  Please click through and check them out, leave them a comment or a follow!  Thanks so much!



Leo and Junie
Jewelry Designs :: Nature & Vintage Inspired
By Christine Steckel

leoandjunie@yahoo.com
Contact Me EtsyFacebookStumbleUponTwitter

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Featured BESTeam member, Darling Dande Designs

I am proud to introduce you to a fellow BESTeam member, Kirsten, owner of  Darling Dande Designs from Florida (one of my favorite states). She makes adorable handmade baby blankets, personalized bloomers, diaper covers, tutus, and clothing.  Kirsten recently launched her online boutique website. She also makes handmade items for big girls like us!! She is a proud Mama to Dani and Declan. Her hubby actually came up with the name of her shop DANDE, a mix of her kids names! How cute is that!?

I have two nieces, one still a baby and the other turning two in May. So, this is exciting to find a shop that has a little of everything for your babes! Here are my favorites:


Perfect for a birthday party, dress up, or just to have fun!



I love the owl on the bottom!!


Something you can tuck in a diaper bag, purse, or keep in your car :)

I hope you enjoyed meeting Darling Dande Designs!
Here are her links to see more of her adorable handmade items:




Leo and Junie
Jewelry Designs :: Nature & Vintage Inspired
By Christine Steckel

leoandjunie@yahoo.com
Contact Me EtsyFacebookStumbleUponTwitter