Head to Toe: Mint Milkshake

$65, Ivory Handknit Scarf, by Phydeaux
$75, Romantic Wrap Top, by Lirola
$41, A Row of Teal Necklace, by stellaandlux
$48, Vintage T Strap Heels, by MillsDesignCo
$59, Classic Pencil Skirt, tasifashion

Nose Hair is Cute

So I was taking a picture of a luscious berry mix from my local Farmer's Market for use on my Raspberry Vanilla Soap label, and this is what I ended up with:


But while I was taking these pictures, this is what I started to see through my viewfinder:


Kitty was not amused with non-tasty food in "her" space:

But she eventually settled down and posed pretty for me:

Ingredients and the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010

If the "Safe" Cosmetics Act of 2010 passes, my basic soap ingredient label will be required to look like this. This is without any colors or fragrances, just plain natural soap. Thanks to Kayla Fiorvanti for the information on the trace elements of water.

My current label looks like this:

Palm oil, coconut oil, olive oil, safflower oil, distilled water, sodium hydroxide, castor oil

Under this legislation, it will be forced to look like this:

Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil (glyceryl laurate acid, myristate acid, palmitate acid, stearate acid, oleate acid, linoleate acid, and linolenate acid)
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil (lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, caprylic acid, capric acid, stearic acid, caproic acid, arachidic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid) Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil (oleic acid, palmitic acid, squalene, phytosterol, tocosterols, tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol, oleocanthal, oleuropein) Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil (palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid [ω6]) Aqua (lead, acrylamine, alachlor, alpha/photon emitters, antimony, asbestos, arsenic, atrazine, barium, benzene, benzo(a)pyrene, beta photon emitters, beryllium, bromated, cadmium, carbofuran, carbon tetrachloride, chloramines, chlordane, chlorine, chlorine dioxide, chlorite, chlorobenzene, chromium, copper, cyanide, 2,4-D, dalapon, o-Dichlorobenzene, p-Dichlorobenzene, 1,1-Dichloroethylene, cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene, trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene, Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate, dinoseb, diquat, endothall, endrin, ethylbenzene, fluoride, glyphosate, hexachlorocyclopentadiene, mercury, radium, uranium, vinyl chloride, xylenes) Sodium hydroxide Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil (ricinoleic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, stearic acid, palmitic acid, dihydroxystearic acid)

Head to Toe: Simply Soft

$55, soft leather ballet flats, by lunashoesuk
$59, Summer Cardigan, by MyLolaFashion
$39, Mix of Colors - Set of Seven Stacking Rings, by indiaylaluna
$18, Flower Hair Pins, by mnhince

Wall Love: My Sweet Valentine by thepaintedlily

A beautiful combination of mandala art and horror vacui imagery, this lovely piece is titled "My Sweet Valentine" and is available on Etsy by thepaintedlily.

New Soap Pics: Fresh Cut Grass

I love this bar, it's such a great embodiment of everything that's wonderful about spring and summer. It truly smells just like a freshly mowed lawn with just a touch of cool, after-sun aloe. The varying shades of green topped off with purple add interest and intensity to the soap, and with my new lighting set up I was finally able to capture the colors properly! Check out my Fresh Cut Grass listing on Etsy for more pics.

Tied Together: Tea Time

$35, Large Herbal Tea Kit, by purposedesign
$45, Tea Time Mini Wall Clock, by LAMdesigns
$16, Tea Lover's Mug Knit Cozy, by KnitStorm
$40, Tea Time Earrings, by asecondtime
$3.25, 1oz Pineapple Papaya Green Tea, by dreamweavershop
$50, The Tea Factory, sollinero
$20, Tea Time Towels, girlscantell
$120, Ghost Leaf Teapot, by patspottery
$6.99, Earl Grey and Lavender, by ToppersTea

Tied Together: Vintage Heels

$21, Metallic Golden Spike Glam Heels, by zwzzy
$54, 1970s Suede Leather Boots, by allencompanyinc
$34, Strappy sequin heels, by DearGoldenVintage
$34, Flirting With Lace, LapineOurs
$89, Tall Black Leather High Heel Oxford Boots, italianpostcards
$25, Bows, by littlegreenbirdxo
$34, Sky high green stiletto pumps, by treeandkimballmarket
$29.99, Powder blue pip toes, AdrianCompanyVintage
$89, 1950s Vintage Purple Plum Satin Pump, starletvintage

Head to Toe: Bermuda Splash

A pretty summer garden skirt is softened with the ultra feminine soft top by Ureshii, and then played up with a bit of sparkle from the always fabulous Glitz Glitter. This look is defined by the use of a large, contrasting accessory- such as the beautiful cranberry bag featured.

$95, Large Cressier Bag in Burgundy, by iragranteco
$56, Soft Top - Long Sleeve, by Ureshii
$18, Oracle Earrings, by GlitzGlitter
$60, Garden Party Skirt, by ellainaboutique

Wall Love: Cat in Window Print by rochelle31

I saw this seller grace the front page of Etsy on June 24th and just fell in love with her work. This print, "Cat in Window" is particular is lovely. It's a kitty, and it's in watercolor and ink- and the print is only $15! Go get yourself one now!

New Soap: Key Lime Pie

Things are finally starting to warm up here in the bay area of California, except for last night of course, which was cold and windy! (confusing much?) To celebrate summer, I've re-done my popular Key Lime fragrance as Key Lime Pie. It's a refreshing scent, heavy on the lime with just a touch of sweet cream and graham cracker crust. The natural vanillin in this blend makes the soap turn darker over time, so I've isolated the discolored portion and topped it off with lots of fun green soap curls and fresh white soap. The old Key Lime fragrance is still available for a limited time, and on sale until it sells out!

Head to Toe: Garden Stroll

An elegant outfit centering on neutral colors inspired by nature and different textures.

$138, White Bias Pin-tuck Top, Silk Charmeuse, by prizysebastian
$28.99, Giselle Necklace, by BGBJewelry (currently on sale!)
$29.50, Tan Leather Peep Toe, by thepuddingstorevint
$70, Viridiflora Tulip Skirt, by oneaviandaemon

More Fun With Copper

Some of you will remember my recent post about oxidizing copper with ammonia. It went over pretty well, and I love that it was able to help some of you out! Lately, I've been playing a lot with merging filigree and wire-wrapping techniques and came up with this pendant-style necklace the other day. It was oxidized using the ammonia method, and the smallest beads you see there are 15 seed beads, very tiny!

Wall Love: Hydrangea, Snowneressness by Raceytay

Okay, I have to confess I've given up figuring out how to pronounce the name of this photo by the spectacular Raceytay. I can get the "hydrangea" part but when I get to the "Snowneressness" my tongue quits and goes home for the day. Oh well, it's absolutely gorgeous regardless!

New Soap: Pink Frosting

This is one of those fragrances that you just keep having to sniff to pick up all the complexities in it. The name "Pink Frosting," while definitely fitting, doesn't begin to cover all the luscious notes there. It starts out with a dark, Madagascar vanilla that screams frosting and then quickly mellows into a bouquet of beautiful white flowers. Very fleeting is the scent of fresh lemon slices sprinkled with white sugar, and the finish makes up the heart of the scent with luscious, sexy amber. A nostalgic note of cotton candy is present throughout the entire fragrance, adding an innocent touch to an otherwise deeply mysterious blend. A must have for any woman who likes sweet and sexy fragrances!

Wall Love: Sew by TheHauntedHollowTree

This beautiful mixed media piece, titled "Sew" by TheHauntedHollowTree would be absolutely perfect in a sewing room or as a gift for any seamstress.

Tied Together: Afternoon in Paris

$20, Un soir d'automne, Serpentine
$10, Post Earrings- Pink Damask Je' Taime, UniquelyEJewelry
$21.50, Vanilla Sky Over Paris, WoodenNickelsJewelry
$65, Roses Pink raw silk top, Malam
$5.50, Handmade Gift Bags and Sticker Seals, nolan3863
$87, Paris Window, ArtConductor
$35, No. 166, JolieMarche
$15, Shabby Chic Embellished Candle, Shoponalark
$110, Shabby Cottage Console Cabinet, PaintedCottages

BarefootFae: Northern Lights Earrings

I've been playing a bit with wire-wrapping and experimenting with how different patinas can completely change the look of both glass and gemstones. It really is interesting to watch. I've set up a small tupperware box with two pieces of string inside to suspend my piece over a sake cup full of ammonia. When I place the piece on the string, I close it up and watch, checking once every hour, on the progression of the patina. As it shifts from fresh, rosy copper to dark, chocolaty brown the depth of color in the beads themselves is enhanced. If inclined, you can even let the patina take over until all the wire has turned a deep, turquoise green. These earrings I stopped at dark-dark brown, but I will show some more experiments later.

Head to Toe: Casual Sunday

A super soft wrap, comfy jeans, pretty flats and a gorgeous necklace create the perfect outfit for being creative around the house on a slow Sunday afternoon.

$90, Merino wool knit circle wrap, Sandmaiden
$20.50, teal zipper ruffle ballet flats, TatterdFlower
$58, Marshlands Necklace, Noblegnome
$29.50, Bootcut Jeans, Oldnavy

Wall Love: Pink Lily by Weaselle

A truly beautiful palette knife painting of a lily in shades of pink by Weaselle on Etsy. She is an incredibly talented artist and has a whole shop full of beautiful things!

Head to Toe: Sky Blue Yoga

Soft, comfortable pants and top with a lot of flexibility and few seams make for a great gentle exercise outfit. Handmade, vegan slipper-style shoes are lightweight for tossing in your yoga bag while at class and small, sterling ear studs at a bit of sparkle without hampering movement.

$15, Sterling Silver Om Studs, by CatherineMarissa
$38, Eco Friendly Vegan Flat Linen Shoe, by extraseed
$36, Mountain Top, by pasqueflowerdesigns
$55, Pencil Short - Bamboo, by Ureshii

Oxidizing Copper with Ammonia

Materials:

• Deep plastic container with lid
• Small bowl that's at least an inch shorter than the plastic container
  
• String
• Tape
• Scissors
• Ammonia (you can get this at most grocers)
• Piece of copper jewelry
  
  
  
  

Step one:
Measure out three pieces of string that are about 4 inches longer than the width of your plastic box. Lay them onto a piece of tape about a 1/4" apart from each other. Affix the tape/string to the inside wall of the plastic box, about a 1/2" from the top. Just be sure that you have enough room to set your piece on the strings with the lid on.
















Step two:
Tape the other ends of the string to the opposite side of the box, making sure there's some tension in them. Apply a few extra pieces of tape to both sides to make sure they stay in place, the ammonia fumes can weaken the adhesive over time.















Step three:
Place your piece of copper jewelry on the stings and make sure they're steady. Adjust any loose strings and add some tape as needed.


















Step four:
Remove the copper pieces and make sure they're clean. Then fill your small bowl with about an inch of ammonia. Be prepared, this stuff is strong and stinks. Slip the bowl of ammonia into the plastic container underneath the strings.
















Step five:
Replace your copper pieces on the string and put the plastic container's lid back on. Set it aside and check in every hour or so. It will take a few hours, but the copper will turn a rich dark brown, black, or even a deep verdigris color depending on how long you leave it in there. Have fun experimenting!

















Extra thoughts:
By playing with the type of wire you use and the length of time you leave your piece in the box, you can achieve some pretty interesting results. These earrings were made using raw copper wire for a base and the ear wire itself, but the wrapping was done with a coated, non-tarnish copper for a nice contrast. The piece was left in the fumes overnight, creating a dark green patina.

Tied Together: Sowing Seeds

$33, Pomegranate Salt Shaker, by StudioElan
$25, Branching Out No. 9, by milemarker
$145, seed pods and seams pillow, by lottahelleberg
$25, Windy Pods, by DwellinStyle
$78, Turquoise and Samara, by UmbilicusDesigns
$9, 3 Natural Seed pods with Red Wool, by woolicious
$36, Two tone organic dangle earrings, NoraCatherine
$50, Blue Mountain Views, by aliherrmann
$8, Helicopter Ring, by dillondesigns

Head to Toe: Coffee Date

A casual look with a cute skirt and surprise cut-out top, contrasting vintage heels and cute earrings.

$10, Dark Roast Earrings, by LiciaBeads
$32, Vintage Maroon Criss-Cross Heels, by zwzzy
$29, 3Elfen Shirt in black, by 3Elfen
$25, ERM two layered chocolate brown wrap skirt, by ERMclothing

Wall Love: Kirie Bamboo Clock by Decoylab

A truly beautiful (and functional!) piece of art, the Kirie 02 clock by decoylab was inspired by the Japanese art of paper cutting.

Head to Toe: Cool Spring Breeze

For those days when it's just sunny enough for a skirt, but the breeze has enough chill for a soft hoodie.

$43, Dandelion Wishes on Navy Cadet Jacket, by ellembee
$38, Everyday Pencil Skirts-Heather Gray, by artaffect
$42, Porcelain Pendant - White Primula Auricula - Sterling Silver Chain, by seaurchin
$48, Iolite Wave Hoop Post Earrings in Bright Sterling Silver, by NeroliHandmade

Happy Mother's Day All!

Some roses for my mom and yours. :)

Embossed Book Plate Stickers

If you're anything like me, you're pretty much obsessed with books. You read them one after the other, discuss them with strangers on the internet, arrange your furniture around book shelves and lend them out to people you know so that you can discuss the book with people you know instead of strangers on the internet.
Ahem.

Of course, if you truly loved a book, it's a bit nerve-wracking to lend one out. If many of your friends enjoy lending out books, ownership can easily get jumbled. That's why I'm going to teach you how to make your own self-adhesive book plate. These are thin stickers that have been stamped and embossed to make them look a bit more elegant, while still being thin enough that they don't fuss with the way the cover of your book closes. Perfect for paperbacks! I'm going to make mine with a kitty stamp. Because I love kitties about as much as I love books. Yes, I'm probably a crazy cat lady. And I like it.

First, you're going to need a full sheet of label paper. You can find this at most office supplies stores, or at onlinelabels.com You're also going to need:

• A stamp, approximately 2 1/4" square
• Ink, preferably slow-dry
  
• Embossing powder
• A heat gun or hair dryer, a heat gun is best
• A little dish to catch the excess embossing powder
• Decorative scissors (optional)
• This PDF: Save me

Step one:
Print out the above PDF onto your label paper, if your printer doesn't allow for borderless printing select "fit to page."

Step two:

Ink up your stamp and give it a good press into the ink pad, then move it over and carefully press down in the center of one of the squares on your label paper. Use the lines on the paper to make sure your stamp is as centered as possible.


Step three:
Remove the stamp quickly and set it aside, lift straight up and do your best not to twist it or otherwise smudge the image. While the ink is still wet, sprinkle with the embossing powder. I usually cover the whole image thickly and tap it down lightly with a finger to make sure it sticks. Allow it to rest for a second. Count to 20 in your head if you're impatient like me.


Step four:
Lift up your paper and carefully dust the excess powder off into your little dish. Gently tap the side of the paper, and blow on it to make sure all the loose bits come off. Check to make sure there isn't any remaining powder in a spot you don't want it. Lay flat.


Step five:
Turn on your heat gun. Give it a few seconds to warm up. If you just wave it at the paper right away the lukewarm air will blow the embossing powder around before it melts it. When it's hot, hold the paper down with one finger in a corner, and hover the gun about an inch above your stamping. The paper will warp slightly, but this is okay. It will flatten out later.


Step six:
At this point you can go one of two ways. You can keep stamping/embossing your sheet until the whole thing is covered, or you can cut this one out with your fancy border scissors cutting just inside the black lines on the paper.


Step seven:
Once you've made and cut out all your book plates, stack them and let them sit with a heavy book on top of them over night. This smooths out the paper and gets rid of any leftover warping from the heat gun.


Ta-da! You're all finished! You can also buy the kitty book plates I used as an example in my BarefootFae Etsy shop, packaged all purdy and ready to go.

Tied Together: Nesting

Nesting

Roosting Bird Pattern, by Irenestrange
Nest Original Painting, by Amandablake
Nesting Heart Bowl Set, by Redhotpottery
Nesting Bird Necklace, by Modern Bird
Russian Nesting Doll Stationery, by MewPaperArts
Love Bird Place Cards, by Timeless Paper
Blue Nest Pillow, by WillyWaw
Peacock Inspired Nesting Bowls by, Curlynjgirly
Ring Bearer Bowl by, Palomasnest

Shoe Love: The Dankso Sissy

Admittedly, when I think of Danksos I think of large, chunky clogs and styles that trade out design for comfort. I'm all for a comfortable shoe but I need something feminine going on with them, and Danksos usually don't fit that ticket. So when I went looking for a cute, everyday summer shoe to match up with jeans and offer my knees a good deal of support I did not expect to end up with a Dankso, but that's just what happened. I disocovered the "Sissy" on zappos while searching by my size (love that feature!) and had to have these cuties. I love the slight platform, it's cushy and has great arch support. The cut outs over the toes girl this up a little and the sweet silver-toned buckles add to the feminine factor while making the fit adjustable. I ordered the black, and have my eye on these red ones now too.

Dansko Sissy on Zappos, $110

Back on Track

Apologies for the slight break in posting, the Google spam bots thought this was a spam blog so I had to spend some time getting some real people to take a look and realize it isn't! Back to our regularly scheduled program this week. :)

Head to Toe: Orange Splash

Orange Splash

$56, Scoop Neck Bubble Top, by Ellainaboutique
$79.50, Curvy dark wash boot-cut jean, by Banana Republic
$29, Vintage 50's Tangerine Leather Pumps, by Gourmetbodytreats
$48, Orange Carnelian Sterling Silver Hoops, by TZSTUDIO

Tied Together: Bubbles

Bubbles

Soap Bubbles, by GlitzGlitter
Rose Bubbles, by Ahpeele
Taupe Bubble Pillow, by Amerrymishap
Mini Bubble Lampshade, by FiligreeCreations
Bubbles Necklace, by SilverSomethings
Day Dream With Bubbles, by Kristybee
Bubble Sticks, by CleopatraKerckhof
Bubbles, by Yaelfran
Red White and Blue Mini Notebooks, by PaperUlixis

About MeganEilise

My name is Megan and I am the founder and creative force behind Blushie Bath & Body and BarefootFae Jewelry. Having been a professional curator of the arts and then graphic designer, I stepped away from the corporate world in the fall of 2009 to nourish my growing bath & body company, Blushie and peruse a full-time career in the beautifully taleneted world of handmade.

I live just outside of San Francisco in the beautiful East Bay area of California with my fiance, Joey, and have created this blog to showcase many of the talented craftspeople and artisans I come across in my daily wandering about the internet. I will also feature the occasional item from a large company if I think it would be useful or interesting to my readers. I am a lover of science of all sorts, creativity, video games, motorcycles, and the air just after a rainstorm.

So if you love shoes, clothes, art, decor and of course tea & coffee, make yourself right at home. If you're interested in being featured on this blog please contact me at: megan [at] blushie.com

Regular Features here on MeganEilise:

• Shoe Love, occasional review or ogling of a fantastic pair of shoes
• Head to Toe, a complete outfit
• Decor Break, some lovely touches for your home
• Interview with the Artist, getting to know the people behind handmade
• Wall Love, a piece of lovely art
• Tied Together, various items all displaying a common theme
• Crafty Projects, How-to's for various fun things
• Blushie, soap related shenanigans
  
• BarefootFae, my love-affair with jewelry making