Philly Etsy Team Blog … Brides & Babies

Chamomile & Calendula Body Lotion for Baby (and Mama!)

You may or may not know that I’m a member of the Philly Etsy Team and proud to be a part of such a diverse & creative group of local artisans. I’ve participated in events with members at the local Indie Craft Market events, as well as through the City Paper Trunk Show on Black Friday. The Philly Etsy Team has a nice blog highlighting many of these crafters & artists http://phillyetsy.blogspot.com/
They recently put together a nice article for Weddings & Bridal necessities, including lovely jewelry and even Bridal Party gifts (note: Lilith’s Apothecary!!!).

January makes me think of new Brides and new Babies, believe it or not! It’s a time for retreat and reflection and I guess I feel as though we need to deeply celebrate & remember the most important happenings, events, rituals, and rites of passage in our human existance. I will be highlighting my New Mama & Tender Baby Products for my January Special because I want to encourage the use of all natural bath & body products for little babies as well as healing products for the pregnant and post-partum new mama… I just created a wonderful new chamomile & calendula lotion for baby. It has no added essential oils or fragrance but smells just like chamomile tea! Great for baby eczema or winter dry skin.

Herbal Facial Steams for cold & flu season

My 'Herbal Delight' facial steam

Ah! One of my dear etsy customers just commented on her use of my herbal facial steams during a recent sinus infection. What a wonderful way to use the healing powers of herbs!

Herbal Steam for cold & flu season:
1 tsp comfrey root
2 tsp thyme
2 tsp sage
1 drop of eucalyptus essential oil (optional) or 1 tsp dried eucalyptus leaves.
1 drop of thyme essential oil (optional)

Directions:
Place the herbs in a small saucepan of water, bring to a boil and then simmer for a 10 minutes, with the pot covered. Take the pot off the heat and add the essential oils. Drape a towel over your head and place your face over the steam, breathing in deeply and moving your head from side to side. Take a break if it gets to be too much. But keep placing your head over the pot for at least 10 minutes total, blowing into the water a little when it starts to cool down in order to direct the steam into your nasal passages. Breathe!

Thyme is a wonderful, handy herb that is also antimicrobial. I regularly drink thyme tea when I am sick or just during the winter to keep my immune system primed. Comfrey root is a healing herb that is also demulcent, so it is soothing to the mucus membranes and other body linings. Sage is astringent, which is often much needed during head colds. Eucalyptus e.o. helps open the nasal passages. I say “one drop” and yes, you could put two drops, but don’t over do it! Essential oils are very powerful, especially in a bowl of hot steaming water. By the way, this would also be a good steam for acne because of its antiseptic strength and astringency (except for maybe the eucalyptus). Don’t forget the ginger & lemon tea for that head cold!

Blogging: you’re supposed to do it every day, right?

I guess I need to get better at updating my blog more regularly, eh? The busy holiday season has been busy but not totally out of control. I have lots to do to get things out by Tuesday for ample shipping time, but tonight I can’t bring myself to make one more batch of soap, lotion, or tea blend! It’s already 10pm but I might just need to watch that last 2 hour finale of True Blood (a show I like in concept, but which has ended up underwhelming and even disappointing) or maybe I’ll make some of my jewelry gifts I am planning to give this holiday season. You can check out a few things at http://www.lilithsjewels1.etsy.com but I am really bad at keeping that updated with new creations regularly. I love the bumble bee honeycome quartz earrings, though. I was thinking today that I really need to create a separate business card for Lilith’s Jewels and try to get on top of that more, even though there are only 10,000 etsy jewelers! I’m exaggerating, but not by much!

I have had a number of wholesale opportunities come up of late, and I am a little perplexed about what to do. Should I really try to push doing wholesale so I get Lilith’s name out there? It’s so much work for so little real, financial return, but I know that this is often the avenue to get a business off the ground. I would almost need to cut back a day of work at my ‘real’ job if I was really going to do a ton of wholesale.

I really would never be able to STOP working in my little apothecary, though. I have thought about the ‘cost benefit analysis’ when I am up working until 1 or 2am night after night, and then getting up at 7 to get my daughter and myself ready for daycare and work. It’s exhausting! I rarely have time to relax, let alone take care of my own self…but in many ways, the creative process is taking care of me by fullfilling something inside me. I love coming up with new ideas and products. I love helping others and learning by beginning to understand what other people are going through and experiencing. I get so much from the positive feedback my customers lavish upon me. It’s a lot of work, but it’s growing (albeit slowly) and I guess, ultimately, I wouldn’t want to live without the gift Lilith gives to me.

Indie Craft Market – holiday craft bonanza!

Well it’s happening again ~ another Indie Craft Market at the 941 Theatre in the Northern Liberties. This Saturday, DECEMBER 6
I hope to see some Lilith fans perusing all of the wonderful, handmade artisan goodies to be had. The best way to shop for this holiday is to shop Local and Handmade. Come and get a Lilith’s Apothecary gift basket made up for your loved one!

Sat., December 6
11-6pm
@ Backseat Conceptions 941 Theater:
941 N. Front Street Philadelphia, PA (Northern Liberties)

http://randomsquirrellab.com/

Holiday craziness & handmade Soap

Wow, is this time of year ever insane! We had Thanksgiving at my house and of course the TLA/City Paper trunk show was on Friday, so the last week was pretty exhausting. The holidays are fun, though, and a lot of people seem to love all the hustle and bustle.

Looking for ideas for handmade gifts? One great way to make a simple, yet appreciated handmade gift is to try out Melt & Pour soaps. Most wholesalers (such as essentialwholesale.com, http://www.pvsoap.com and fromnaturewithlove.com sell melt & pour bases. All you need to do is buy the base, melt it down in a double boiler. Then you add your additional goodies, such as calendula-blossom infused oil, shea butter, jojoba beads, or lavender blossoms, and a small amount of pure essential oil. And finally pour it into plastic tray molds (also available for purchase at those sites).

There’s no question that Cold-Processed handmade soaps are lovely, but melt & pour glycerine soaps are very gentle for the face & body and are quick & easy to make, especially this time of year, when time itself is most precious. Here are some additional ideas for you to try with your M&P soap:

* Try making guest soaps with small guest soap sized mold trays and then wrap in cellophane with ribbon.
* Get creative with packaging by using hand-stamped paper, cardboard wraps, raffia, ribbon, and handmade tags.
* Add natural herbal colorants like a tiny amount of tumeric or beet powder to alter the color.
* Add a small amount of cornmeal as an exfoliant or a bit of dried herb, like spearmint, for texture
* Use your favorite essential oil blends or a simple essential oil that is well-liked, such as lavender or patchouli. Try to avoid fragrance oils, as they often contain harmful pthalates.