Monday, February 28, 2011

Carrots For Your Skin!

We all know that carrots are healthy for us to eat, but did you know the benefits of eating carrots- for your SKIN? And actually using them ON your skin?

 Carrots are very high in Vitamin A, which is a very important vitamin. A lack of Vitamin A in the diet can lead to dry or rough skin, skin conditions like acne, eczema and skin impurities, dry hair, broken fingernails, premature aging, vision problems, and susceptibility to infections! Drinking 8 oz of carrot juice (which is actually pretty tasty!) a day can make a huge difference in your skin!

 Carrots are known to promote the repair of skin tissues, making them an excellent treatment for skin diseases. Because carrots are full of antioxidants, they also serve as protection and nourishment for your skin. Carrots are anti-inflammatory, help to heal cuts and abraisons, and even help protect your skin from the sun! The antioxidants in carrots increase your skins immunity to sun damage, and can help heal sunburn. Drinking carrot juice will act as a natural sunblock, while still allowing you to get a great tan this summer! Cool, right? I knew I loved carrots.

 Oh, and going back to that anti-aging part- the vitamin C in carrot juice helps produce collagen in your skin, which is what keeps your skin smooth and elastic! Carrot juice also will help even out your skin tone, and get rid of blemishes. Applying carrot juice to your face regularly will keep your complexion smooth, even, and clear.

 Here's a quick easy carrot face mask:

Steam 2 to 3 carrots- preferably organic. Make sure you wash them first
4 1/2 Tablespoons of honey.

After the carrots are cooled, mash them until they are a smooth consistency, and add the honey. Let the mixture cool until it is just warm and gently apply it to your face. Leave it on for 10 minutes, then rinse it off using cool water.  If you have oily skin, try adding a teaspoon of lemon juice and only half the amount of honey. This mask will cleanse your skin, and leave it rejuvenated, moisturized, and toned.

One note of caution about consuming too much carrot juice- it can give your skin a yellowish tone. If you drink 8 oz of carrot juice a day, you'll be fine and you won't need to take any Vitamin A supplements. Just don't go overboard with it. :-)

I think it's so cool that God has given us everything we need to be healthy right here in nature. There is no health condition that cannot be either prevented or treated by eating a healthy natural diet, and living in a God-honoring way. He loves us and has given us everything that we need to be healthy and happy! How great is that?! ♥

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

If You Have an Etsy Shop...

You DEFINITELY want to enter this giveaway! And even if you don't, you'll enjoy reading the interview with Lauren. She's a lot of fun! :-) She has an awesome blog too!!!

Opinions Please! ♥

I just was checking my soap stock, and realized that I am completely out of the bars of my Calendula & Honey soap, as well as my coffee soap, Koffee Kitchen soap with shea butter.



So, my question is, which one should I remake first? I'd love to hear your opinions!

Friday, February 18, 2011

Featured Etsy Seller- Hopscotch Dandelions ♥



This time our featured Etsy seller is the very talented Amanda from Hopscotch Dandelions.  I had the great pleasure of learning a little bit about Amanda this week!
 Amanda is a young lady who lives with her family in Southern California in a western kind of town where there are horse trails instead of side walks, and as many horses as there are people. Seriously, this sounds like my DREAM town and I now want to go there!
 Amanda has been making things all of her life, and enjoyes baking, sewing, and painting. All through high school she was in art classes learning to paint, and she does beautiful work! She has painted protraits, but her favorite thing to paint is lettering. She says, "It's completely stress free, and I love seeing the final result."
Here is a painting she did of her sister barrel racing!


 She paints beautiful signs on reclaimed wood, like the one below.

And sewing? Amanda does a beautiful job with that too! 


And she makes aprons too!


And being someone who loves vintage things, I love the fact that she has some really neat ones in her shop! Like this 1970's Metal Green Woodgrain Box.



I absolutely LOVE Amanda's Etsy shop, as well as her blog, which can be found here. Her blog and shop have some great photography ( love that banner!), which Amanda says she learned some about when she took some photography lessons and learned film and darkroom skills. One day she would love to have her own darkroom!

You can find Amanda on Facebook here:
 http://www.facebook.com/HopscotchDandelions

On Etsy here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/HopscotchDandelions

And on her blog here:
http://hopscotchdandelions.blogspot.com

I hope you've enjoyed getting to know Amanda and her shop as much as I have! Have a great evening!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

My Brother Is HOME From Afghanistan!!!!!!!

My brother has been in Afghanistan with the Special Forces for a while, and today HE CAME HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy he's safely back on American soil! :-D Unfortunately I don't get to see him, because he lives over 900 miles away and there was no way my husband and I could go, but it's great to know he's safe anyway. I'm HOPING we can go see him soon! He got married just before he left, and in a couple days his wife is going to be giving birth to their first child.  ♥ Ashlynn ♥ I'll show pictures of HER when she get's here. :-D


Ok that's all I just wanted to share my happy news!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Easy Hair Conditioner

*Recipe from Natural Beauty at Home by Janice Cox*


This is a wonderfully simple and cheap hair conditioner that will keep your hair feeling smooth and healthy through all the things that we are always putting our hair through.  It is based on a recipe given to Mrs. Janice Cox by her grandmother. Her grandmother remembered using it in her hair when she was a young girl in the 1920's, riding around in those old open topped automobiles!

Roaring Twenties Conditioner

1 packet unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup warm water
1 egg
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Dissolve the gelatin in the warm water, stirring well. Add the egg and lemon juice and mix well.

Shampoo your hair as usual. Rub the conditioner into your hair and leave on for 1 to 2 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with warm water. Rinse for at least 1 minute, then finish with a cool-water rinse.

Yield: 3 ounces, enough for one application.


I just found this, and thought I'd share it with you! I am planning on trying it today. If you try it, be sure to let me know how you like it!! :-D

Have a great day!!!



Sunday, February 13, 2011

On Fire For Handmade Featured Etsian!

Recently I joined a team on Etsy called On Fire For Handmade, and each week there is a featured Etsian that we all try and spread the word about!


This weeks Featued Artisan is Edi's Little Treasures. True Treasures indeed.. Edi has wonderful creations! A Must have for every Jewelry Box!! 



You can find Edi at:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/EdisLittleTreasures
http://www.artfire.com/users/edislittletreasures
http://www.bonanza.com/booths/Edi
http://twitter.com/#!/edistreasures
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Edis-Treasures/155848996229?ref=mf
http://mareditreasures.blogspot.com

Thursday, February 10, 2011

I've Been Featured!!! :-D

Yes! I've been featured on a blog!! This sweet lady wrote a lovely post about me and my shop! Please hop on over there and take a look! I'm sure she'd love to hear from you!!



Monday, February 7, 2011

What's YOUR Opinion?

I've had a couple friends ask me recently if I had either lotion bars or shampoo bars. I don't have either right now, and I was wondering what the interest level might be? I've got 49 followers now (WOW), so I thought I'd ask all of your opinions! :-) Would you want/use a lotion bar over a normal lotion? And would you/ do you use shampoo bars? Any feedback would be GREAT! :-D

Check out my newest addition to my shop! It's a set of 3 bars of my all natural soaps ( any three of your choosing) together with a beautiful vintage soap dish!

Click the picture to view the listing! :-) 
(I totally just figured out how to make the picture take you to the listing! I'm so excited! :-))

Saturday, February 5, 2011

If You Have a Moment.....

Could you PLEASE go on over to Linda B's Beaded Jewelry blog and cast a vote for me? Linda has featured on of my items, and a bunch of other people's great items on her blog, and whoever gets the most votes wins a solo feature on the blog a blog interview! I am very excited about the possibility! THANK YOU!! :-D

Friday, February 4, 2011

Wednesday Giveaway Announcement!

The winner of this weeks Wednesday giveaway IS............. drumroll...............


Is the suspense getting to you?? Ok. The Winner of This Weeks Giveaway IS Sharri!! 
Congratulations! :-D

Thank you to everyone who entered! Please stay tuned for more giveaways coming up soon ;-) 

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

I've Been Featured On A Blog- In a Giveaway! :-)

That's right! I've been featured on the lovely blog The Good. The Bad. And the Internet. and Jenn is working with me on a giveaway of this-


I'm SOOOOOOO excited!!!!!!!!! Head on over there and find out how to enter!! :-D