simplyraevyn.com

Recently I was lucky enough to stumble upon MichelesEssentials. I have seriously sensitive skin and a few months ago I started testing handmade Bath and Body products from Etsy, to find the ones that work best for me. So I ordered a few things from Michele to test them and see how my skin reacts. And I can say, her products are amazing! Her body butters are heavenly, and her soaps are amazing. Michele recently took a few minutes to answer some of my questions. Here they are.

1. When did you get your start making bath & body products?

Well, I got started about 8 years ago, after getting my degree in Science of Naturology. I found myself stuck between a rock and a hard place after i got my degree, I couldn’t technically treat people with what I had learned, because I found out the AMA (American Medical Association) actually owns words to my shock.
So, I had to figure out another means of using my knowledge of what I had learned with herbs, essential oils, and herbal mixtures. I took a year off and sat back thinking what is a common ground to be able to help people with their health and skin while keeping it natural, then it hit me, SOAP! I can help people by creating an all natural soap that they can depend on that helps with their different skin types and conditions, while still being able to keep their costs down. Because natural does not have to mean expensive!

2. What influenced you to start making bath & body products?

My education and passion to keep life as natural as it should be, #1.
#2) To limit my environmental footprint on this planet while I am here.
#3) To leave my children with a respect for Nature and all things natural, while leaving them with a world that is a little bit more livable.

3. What is your favorite thing to make and why?

Honestly, it is my bar soaps and my liquid soaps, to me they are the most remarkable items (although, I have not yet hit the market with my liquid soaps, but this year they will be, keep an eye out for them!). I love the science behind it all, it is so neat to watch oils and water turn into a wonderful sudsy bar or bottle of bubbly joy. Then scent it to perfection, and be able to use it on my own body and it work! It is simply amazing to be able to create something from scratch completely and be able to use it, put MY business name on it and sell it. It’s remarkable and SO worth all the years of trail and errors! I can honestly say two things about what I do, “Soap making is the cleanest job I have ever had, and I LOVE MY JOB!”

4. How did you find Etsy, and when did you start selling there?

A few years ago I had a friend tell me about Etsy so I opened up my first shop ‘Earth’s Essence LLC’ learned the in’s and out’s of the whole thing and this year I opened my second shop ‘Michele’s Essentials’ and have been working hard at it ever since, never looking back!

5. If someone that is reading this wants to start making and selling their own b&b products, do you have any advice to offer them?

YES! I don’t want to discourage anyone, but there is a lot of studying you should do, start off slow, read EVERY B&B and SOAPMAKING book you can get your hands on, keep informed about the FDA guidelines. I’d honestly say, maybe buy a couple of kits first off to test your patience level, then move on from there.
I wanted more control over my ingredients so I went into creating my own bar soaps myself, and my own liquid soaps too, but there is a lot of math, a lot of chemical understanding, you also need to get comfortable with the idea of working with caustic materials such as lye, the basis for all soaps.
then you need to TEST TEST TEST, it took me years of making creating and using my own products before I felt okay to take what I was making to the public… I had to learn patience also, because one batch of soap takes anywhere from 4 weeks up to 15 weeks to cure, depending on your formula you want to use. Pure Castile Soap takes months (yep that is with an S at the end of it) to cure, but they are so well worth the patience. I am always willing to answer any questions anyone might have who is looking to go into the whole B&B making business, however I will warn you I do not sugar coat it, there is lots of work and a huge investment to be made to really make B&B to sell.

I am right now writing a book with recipes in it for the novice B&B maker, or just anyone who loves B&B products but really doesn’t want to invest in huge amounts, or would like to purchase small items to make just for them or for gifts. Please look for that also in my shop early Spring in my shop at MichelesEssentials.

Thank you so much for asking me to participate in this interview I hope I have not discouraged too many people from the soap making business, I just want to be as honest as possible with everyone.

******

I wanted to thank Michele for taking the time and giving such informative answers! I am a guaranteed repeat customer and I can honestly say I highly recommend him. Go ahead and browse her shop a little. Her prices are great, she is so friendly and as I said, her products are fantastic!

Etsy Buy Handmade MichelesEssentials

Tags: bath and body, bath bombs, body butter, candle, etsy, gift basket, handmade, lip balm, lotion, MichelesEssentials, palm wax candle, soap, specialty soap, vegan

In the world of Etsy, there is no shortage of jewelry. As a seller of jewelry myself, I am very aware of the huge selection. But some people stand out above the others, and today’s featured seller is one of these people. Gallagj’s shop is beautiful. The shop owner, Jo, is someone that I have come to know, respect and love. She is very talented. Her shop holds her gorgeous creations. She also has a great selection of destash, which I love to get my hands on Jo has quickly become an expert on keeping her customers happy. Recently, she took the time to answer a few questions for me.

1. When did you start creating jewelry?
I started creating jewelry at the beginning of this year. I love being creative. I tried out a jewelry kit and I was hooked. Of all the crafts I’ve ever done, this has been my passion.
2. How did you find Etsy, and when did you start selling there?
I found Etsy during a search on the Internet for supplies. I signed up immediately and was a buyer here for a couple of months and decided to set up shop in July of this year.
3. What influences you to make a certain piece?
Hard question. I think I just find a certain bead or slide that I really like and create around it.
4. What are your favorite materials to work with?
I love working with slides, crystals, and gemstones. They are so pretty that they get my creative juices flowing.
5. Do you have one “all time” favorite piece?
Yes, but it was sold last month. My favorite piece was the Golden Sunset Necklace. It just seemed to scream this is ME!

6. Any advice for someone that wants to start selling the jewelry that they make?
One thing I guess is to not always follow the guidelines of what you yourself would wear. You have to target all ages and kinds of people.

Etsy Buy Handmade gallagj

Tags: beading, bracelets, earrings, etsy, gallagj, gemstones, glass beads, handmade, jewelry, necklaces, sets, slides

Well it is time to get serious. I have some plans for this blog, and I will be working on it a lot this week. For starters, I will be adding the blog links to my fellow members of Etsy. They are listed on the side under blogroll. If you are a member of etsy and you have a blog, let me know about it! I would love to exchange links.

I am also working on some contest ideas, and I am writing some featured Etsy artist articles to post. I love the Etsy community, and I want to help my fellow Etsyians Hopefully I can do that with this blog.

So let’s see, what else is going on with me. Well I have been pretty manic for a few weeks now. Not sleeping much, antsy as hell, and some weird panic attacks. I am trying to make it productive right now though. I am trying to thoroughly clean the house. That includes getting rid of a lot of things. I am quite a pack rat, and it is very hard to break that. But when I am like this I find it a little easier. So I started bagging things up and we are going to bring them to Goodwill and the Salvation Army. We brought one load of things today. We have a small apartment and Paul’s mom is living with us. So space is at a premium. Especially with my beading and card making projects spread all over the place. So today I started going through our closet and I am going to keep going until everything has been gone through.

I am also getting ready for Christmas. I love Christmas! I love the lights and the songs and of course the silly Christmas specials on T.V. Like Frosty, The Grinch, etc. I have a lot of wrapping to do since I have decided to spoil my two best friends. They are both having a rough year and they need some spoiling. I found some amazing etsyians that would trade with me, and I was able to get a ton of things for Tanya and Jennifer. I can’t wait until they get to open everything. I am getting all of their gifts wrapped and packed up. Then on Wednesday I am gonna ship them Priority Mail. I also got a lot of things for my little sister, Sara. She is my angel. I miss her a lot. I was really hoping that we would be able to make it to Vermont for Christmas to see my family. But it really isn’t the best choice for us right now financially. So we are going to try to get up there in February for my birthday.

This was my first Christmas season selling my jewelry. It went pretty well, I had quite a few sales. However, I wasn’t ready. Next season I am going to make sure to be a lot more stocked up with things like brick stitch, necklaces, sets and bracelets. Those were all huge sellers and I think if I had more in my inventory, I would have sold more. So this was a good learning experience. I also donated 10% of my sales to the Salvation Army and I have to admit that that has made me feel pretty good

Whew I babbled much more than I thought I would! Guess that means I should blog more often. I am gonna try to go and get some sleep now. But I will be back tomorrow! I have so much planned, I can’t wait to get started!

:w

Tags: beading, Christmas, contest, etsy, featured artists, Goodwill, handmade, jewelry, link exchange, Salvation Army