Prize #3: Stunning Necklace by Vixen's Natural Jewelry

Happy Leap Day everyone!  For prize #3 we have this gorgeous necklace from Vixen's Natural Jewelry:

Glimmering Amber Sun/Moon embraced in a sterling silver tree necklace.
Pendant measures 1 1/2 inches long and 1 1/4 wide.
Antiqued frame and matching 18 inch chain finished with a lobster claw clasp.

***Rules for entering***
You MUST "like" Vixen's Facebook page if you don't already: http://facebook.com/TreeandMoonJewelry
and post a comment here telling me that you "liked" it. *You will not be entered unless you do BOTH of these things.* Be sure to leave an email so I have a way to get in touch with you if you win!

More prizes coming throughout the week! Be sure to follow my facebook page if you don't already so you can stay updated on when they're posted:
http://facebook.com/AngiesSudsNSuch

Prize #2: Any Hat, Any Size, By Stitch by Nicki!

Are you ready for prize #2?  It's an adorable hat by Stitch by Nicki!  Nicki has offered up any hat, any size, for our giveaway.  Here are a couple and you can find more on her facebook page:

Isn't this just the cutest?

***Rules for entering***
You MUST "like" Nicki's Facebook page if you don't already: http://facebook.com/StitchbyNicki
and post a comment here telling me that you "liked" it. *You will not be entered unless you do BOTH of these things.* Be sure to leave an email so I have a way to get in touch with you if you win!

More prizes coming throughout the week!  Be sure to follow my facebook page if you don't already so you can stay updated on when they're posted:
http://facebook.com/AngiesSudsNSuch

Let The Games Begin!

We finally hit 1,000 fans on our facebook page so we're having a "1,000 fan giveaway"!!!  Throughout the week I'll be posting new prizes for you to enter to win.  Winners will be announced on March 5th.
Prize #1 is from my own shop, Angie's Suds 'N Such.  A lavender gift set!

This gift set includes:
1 Lavender Bar Soap (4.5+oz)
1 Jar of Lavender Sugar Scrub Cubes (6.75-7oz)
1 Lavender Lotion Stick (1.1oz)
1 Lavender Solid Perfume (.35oz)

***Rules for entering***
You MUST "like" my Facebook page if you don't already: http://facebook.com/AngieSudsNSuch
and post a comment here telling me that you "liked" my page. *You will not be entered unless you do BOTH of these things.* Be sure to leave an email so I have a way to get in touch with you if you win!

Ways to receive more entries (you will receive one more entry for each):
1. Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/SudsNSuch and post here letting me know.
2. Visit my Etsy shop: http://SudsNSuch.etsy.com and comment here telling me your favorite item.

Good luck everyone!

Progress and New Projects

Well, I'm nowhere near as far on this blanket as I hoped to be by now but I keep getting distracted by other projects.  Making this put me in the mood to knit and crochet more.  Here is the blanket so far:

2 rows done!  I need 18 for it to fit our bed.

This is one of my other projects.  A new scarf to sell in my other shop!

This one is my favorite.  A new dress for baby-to-be!  This is what it's going to look like when it's done:

And here's what I have so far:

The pattern starts at the top and works its way down, so that part is the collar.

And last but not least, some new face scrubbies for my Etsy shop!

That's it for now but I have many new ideas floating around in my head.  I'll keep you posted!

New Project

For the first time in ages, I've decided to make something for myself.  I've been eyeing this pattern for awhile now and I finally got up the nerve to go for it.  Isn't it beautiful?

Mine is going to be a blanket for our queen size bed.  This will be the biggest crochet project I've ever done.  I love the bright colors in this one but it doesn't match our room.  So I got yarn that does:

Here is what I've accomplished so far today:

(It looks a lot better in person than it does in this picture)  I calculated that I'll need about 288 hexagons to make a blanket large enough for our bed.  6 down, 282 to go!

My First Book Feature!

Awhile back I was interviewed by a local author about my Etsy shop.  He said he was writing a book about selling on Etsy and wanted to feature a few successful sellers.  A few weeks later he emailed me a draft copy of the book and then I forgot all about it.  Saturday I was shocked when I opened my mailbox and found this waiting for me:

Here's my feature!!

Sorry about the shadows on the pages.  I didn't want to smash the book in the scanner so I took pictures of the pages instead.

This is a great book for those wanting to start selling, or just starting out, on Etsy.  I just checked to see if it's been released yet and it looks like it came out on January 16th.  It's available at most book sites for about $9.  Tell me if you get a copy!

Discontinuing the Sugar Scrub Cubes

After 2 years of making the Sugar Scrub Cubes I think it's time to put them to rest.  I get a lot of great reviews on them at craft shows but they're just not selling well online.  I need to focus my time and money on something that's more popular, so as of today they've all been marked down 25% to clear them out of my shop.  Once they're gone, they're gone.  (Unless I get a wholesale request that I just can't refuse)

This brings up a question though.  I was using these in my gift sets along with a bar of soap, perfume, and lotion stick.  What would you like to see take their place?  I was thinking maybe a candle.  Any thoughts?

Fotofuze is My New Best Friend!

Somebody in the Etsy forum yesterday was raving about a new photo editing website.  It makes all those grayish white background a nice, crisp white.  I just had to give it a try.

Here's my pic before Fotofuze:

And here's the after:

What a difference!  Now I'm hooked and I'm editing all my photos.  It's so simple.  You just highlight the image and Fotofuze does the rest.  Just make sure you turn off the autocropping option if your pics are already cropped.  That part gets a bit annoying because I keep forgetting and have to go back and redo each pic.  Other than that, I love it!

The Great Perfume Debate

As most of you know, I currently make solid perfumes in little pots:

I started making these because they're easy to carry around in a bag since they're small and they don't spill.  Well, I started wondering if maybe I should sell other types of perfume as well.  I was going through some options and here's what I came up with:

Solid Perfume in a Pot
I like these because, as I said, they're small and spill proof.  The bad thing about them is having to rub your finger into it to apply it.

Solid Perfume in a Stick
These are also nice and portable.  With this option you can rub it directly onto your skin.

Roll-On
These are one of my favorites although I'm afraid to carry it in my purse for fear of spilling.

Spray
Also not one that I would carry around, just in case it spilled. 

Cost Issue:
Then there's the price factor on each.  The solid ones aren't as costly to make.  The plastic pots/tubes are inexpensive.  The roll-ons and sprays cost a bit more.  I'd prefer to use glass for those which off course makes the bottle more expensive.  From what I've been researching, the glass containers cost almost 4-5 times as much as the tubes/pots.  This would, of course, mean that 1/3oz of liquid perfume would cost a lot more than 1/3oz of solid perfume.  Is it worth it?

I would love to hear opinions on this!  Please comment below and take the poll to the right to help me decide what to do!

Spring Soaps are Back in Stock!

I know it's still winter but I'm so ready for the warm weather that I decided to get a head start on some spring soaps. The Taffy Soaps are my favorite!  They remind me of warm, sunny days on the beach.

For Easter, I have the Jelly Beans ready! These adorable soaps come in a set of 20 and are perfect for little hands.