Working on My Wedding!

I have been neglecting my blog lately because I have been busy working on my wedding (vow renewal). I am down to just under one year before the big day! I was thinking maybe I should share my money saving tips and tricks. I am on a tight budget, but really want things to be nice.

We have all seen how beautiful and over the top weddings are now. In fact my favorite wedding planner is David Tutera and you can't get more over the top than that.

I had the big dreams of big centerpieces, gold chargers, draping fabric, chair covers and on and on and on... Ummm.. my budget didn't allow for any of those things;( When I started pricing venues, rentals, flowers, centerpieces and yes, gold chargers etc. my budget of $5000 was completely blown and I hadn't even gotten to food, wedding cake, DJ, drinks, dress, photographer or anything else. I decided if I couldn't have what I wanted I just wasn't going to get my "big wedding", besides we were already married. We had a simple courthouse wedding, but don't we all dream of the fancy dress and dancing the night away?

Just when I thought there was no hope, I started googling "all inclusive wedding venue packages". I learned that I could have my dream wedding with all the bells and whistles if I went with one of these all inclusive locations because weddings are ALL they do. We scheduled a tour of Cafe267 and it was everything I imagined for my wedding! All inclusive really means all inclusive. It includes the on site ceremony, choice of decor (gold chargers included), lounge, hors d' oeuvres, dinner, cocktails, DJ, photographer, cake and day of planner. All you do is show up a couple hours ahead of time with your favors or your own added touches and your dress! They had several different packages to choose from at different budget levels. Best of all you can make monthly payments! That was a blessing for us since we don't happen to have a few thousand dollars just laying around. We chose to go with a package that didn't include a photographer because my sister is an incredible photographer! Also, I do photo editing, so I figure I can get some great shots from the guests thanks to digital cameras and do my magic. We also decided to have our wedding on a Friday evening. Not only was it a thousand dollars cheaper, but all of our guests are coming from out of state, so we figured it would be a way to free up Saturday for sight seeing.

Pictures we took during our tour.

VRBO Packages Available

Welcome VRBO (Vacation Rental by Owner)! I have been working hard to put together special handcrafted bath amenity sets that are perfect for VRBOs, Country Inns and Bed and Breakfasts. Each set includes a choice of handcrafted from scratch shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap and bath soak and comes packaged in a cello bag tied with ribbon. For more information visit my website: http://www.fbessentials.com/

Budding Author

Happy Sunday! A friend of mine is a budding author and has written the first two novels of a promising series. After reading the synopsis I can't wait to start reading these! It has something for everyone romance, fantasy, history and vampires! Please check out the synopsis at his blog http://itwasmeant2be.blogspot.com/ also follow him for updates!

Summer is Here!

Summer is here with a vengeance in Georgia! They don't call it "Hotlanta" for nothing. I have discovered that my poor feet HATE to be trapped in shoes and I am sure I'm not the only one.
Big problem is I don't have the time or money to constantly run to the salon for pedicures. So, between visits I have been giving myself a quick touch up and this is how you can too, ladies!
First of all soak your feet for at least 10 minutes in warm salt water. I use Dead Sea Salt, if you don't have it you can use sea salt found in the grocery store. I also throw in a little Epsom's salt.

Next use a sugar scrub cube to buff away the dead skin and remove the deep down dirt. If you don't have the sugar cube scrub use what you have in your kitchen. Mix 1 tsp of olive oil with 3/4 of a cup of sugar. Rub the sugar vigorously on your feet. Do be careful because this can make your tub slippery. I say tub because me and my 3 y.o. daughter sit on the side of the bath tub with our feet soaking in about 2 inches of water. It's our "girl" time;)

When your done rinse, dry and follow up with a good moisturizing lotion. Your feet will thank you and no more embarrassing "crusty" feet between pedicures!

If you would like to try my handmade lotions, sugar scrub cubes or bath salts visit my shop. http://www.fbessentials.etsy.com/ use coupon code "PEDI10" and receive 10% off

"Me" Time?

I was trying to take a much needed "me" time break Saturday night and was wondering how often everyone else steals a little personal time and what do you do? Between mommy, wife, house and business/work duties I never seem to have time to just relax and focus on myself. When I do I either lock myself in the bathroom for a relaxing bath, give myself a pedicure and paint my nails or watch a "chick flick" with a BIG bowl of ice cream (a bowl of Peanut Butter Captain Crunch does the trick also).
The other night I made a late night run to Walmart by myself which was absolutely fantastic! I enjoyed the drive so much. It was warm out, so I rolled the windows down and listened to music with adult content (no Backyardigans, Barney or Yo Gabba Gabba)! It was NICE! I felt free as I sped through the back country roads, music blaring, and wind whipping my hair. When I got back home I was refreshed! Who knew a trip to the store could be soooo damn good?
What do you do and how often?

Keeping Dry Naturally in Hot Weather!

Now that it's heating up outside it is time to think about your skin in a different way than you did when it was cold. In the winter we needed moisture, moisture and more moisture! Now we need to keep dry! Perspiration can cause all sorts of problems for our skin. Rash, chafing, fungus, and ulcers just to name a few. The solution may already be in your cabinet... There's a safe and natural remedy right in your local grocery store. Cornstarch! Yep, just like Grandma used to use. It is one of the best ways to defeat perspiration in those shall we say, warm spots. There is no need to rush out and buy those expensive highly perfumed (often irritating) powders. Simply apply a little cornstarch as needed under arms, in skin folds or anywhere else a little cool silky powder might help. This is especially important for babies and their sensitive skin. Always try to keep baby under arms, leg and neck folds clean and dry to avoid bacterial and fungal growth.

Busy Day Ahead!

I have a super busy day ahead of me today! Two Cupcake Bath Bomb orders to frost, many packages to mail, labels to apply to personalized lip balms, and finish packaging and packing items to take to the shop! Oh did I mention print and apply the price tags...It's crazy, but I love it! I am so excited about tomorrow...What is tomorrow? I am moving into my retail space at Baby Tracks in Gainesville, Ga.

Things I've Learned Since Opening My Shop on Etsy in 2009

As my 2 year Etsy-versary draws near I think about how far my shop has come and what I have learned. These are the top 5:

1. Tape is your best friend! Always keep a back up to your back up roll. There is nothing more frustrating than running out of tape with only 5 minutes until the post office closes!

2. Adapt to Change! Etsy, social media and the changing economy has taught me that in order to grow you must constantly evolve and EMBRACE change. It can be scary, but you've got to roll with it.

3. Treat your Customers the way you would like to be treated. Whether they spend $1 or $100, always handle their orders with the same urgency, respect and care. Without them your shop is nothing.

4. Your NEVER done working on your shop. As soon as you think your finally finished, you realize it can be better!

5. Every now and then take a break! Breathe and STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER.

Excited and Nervous!

I am feeling so excited and super nervous! This week I'll be moving into a space in a brick and mortar retail shop! I am hoping things go well for my soaps and such. At the same time I am a bit terrified that things will go really well and I wont be able to keep up!!! This is a whole new game for me. I'm used to online sales and this just feels more official. If anyone else has experience on this matter please comment...

The 2011 BBA Historic Buford Spring Festival

Just finished up another great festival! I've come a long way and done quite a few since my original craft fair post. It was the 2011 BBA Historic Buford Spring Festival. I really enjoyed myself. This was my 1st outdoor festval and we were holding our breath because the weather forcast was rain and thunder storms! The craft fair gods must have been smiling on us because those big black storm clouds passed us right by with just a few rolls of thunder. We ended up with a beautiful cool day. Yep, it was perfect and luckily for my daughter we were near the jump houses!

You never can predict what will be the big seller. This time it was my 100% Handmade Body Lotion and my top scents were Cucumber Melon, Honey Almond and Mango Melon Colada.

Craft Fair Pictures!

These are from the Christmas in July Craft Fair in Oakwood, GA 2010. I was scheduled for a few events, but had to cancel due to Thyroid surgery.

So Much Time Has Passed...

Wow, it has been such a very long time since I last wrote in my blog. Things have been moving full speed ahead. I have grown and learned so very much in the last year. The learning is endless and I love it. I have been putting most of my time into creating new bath goodies and perfecting the craft.