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Congrats to Renee who won the Sassy Apron giveaway!
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This week’s Etsy Adore feature and giveaway is from Red Leaf where you can find bath and body products that contain every day ingredients. Chris from Red Leaf is giving away some products to a few lucky readers! Let’s find out more about the shop first.
Tell us a little about you and your shop.
Well, I opened my Etsy shop (www.shopredleaf.etsy.com) this June after my first experiments in 1999. It’s going really well, and I’m getting great feedback!
How did you get into making bath and body products?
By accident! I was living in L.A. and we had a really cold winter that year and my skin was drier than it had ever had been. In some moment of inspiration, I realized a spray would penetrate the skin faster than a lotion, so I went to the kitchen and made one using Olive oil, Rosemary, a little Orange peel, Almond oil, and water. I put that in a small spray bottle I had. It worked amazingly well, and smelled really fresh. There were obvious limitations to it’s commercial use, but I knew I was onto something. I shared that with some friends and they loved it. It took a lot of experimenting to get the spray I currently sell! In the meantime I decided to play around with other ideas I had for shaving, bubble baths, and things like that.
By accident! I was living in L.A. and we had a really cold winter that year and my skin was drier than it had ever had been. In some moment of inspiration, I realized a spray would penetrate the skin faster than a lotion, so I went to the kitchen and made one using Olive oil, Rosemary, a little Orange peel, Almond oil, and water. I put that in a small spray bottle I had. It worked amazingly well, and smelled really fresh. There were obvious limitations to it’s commercial use, but I knew I was onto something. I shared that with some friends and they loved it. It took a lot of experimenting to get the spray I currently sell! In the meantime I decided to play around with other ideas I had for shaving, bubble baths, and things like that.
I have to say, your packaging and displays (chrome stands) are a huge draw for me. A lot of your items are reusable as well which is awesome. Tell me how you came about that.
Thank you! Great packaging design is something I’ve always admired because it’s actually very challenging. When I decided to launch my own line I knew I had to design what to me would be the perfect package. There was never any question that my packaging had to be: clean and simple, environmentally friendly, have a wide appeal and a small footprint, be strong, lightweight, reusable, locally sourced, color matched to the scent, and have a look you’d actually want in your home. The perfect package had to be all these things. The only question was how does a non professional with no connections go about doing that? It was kind of intimidating. Then I had to start all over again when choosing my sample packaging, but by then it was a little easier :) The one thing I didn’t want was wasteful, throw away packaging. Cosmetics companies are some of the worst offenders with that, but they have some of the most beautiful, innovative packaging. I wanted that look without the waste, and I wasn’t going to settle for less.
Thank you! Great packaging design is something I’ve always admired because it’s actually very challenging. When I decided to launch my own line I knew I had to design what to me would be the perfect package. There was never any question that my packaging had to be: clean and simple, environmentally friendly, have a wide appeal and a small footprint, be strong, lightweight, reusable, locally sourced, color matched to the scent, and have a look you’d actually want in your home. The perfect package had to be all these things. The only question was how does a non professional with no connections go about doing that? It was kind of intimidating. Then I had to start all over again when choosing my sample packaging, but by then it was a little easier :) The one thing I didn’t want was wasteful, throw away packaging. Cosmetics companies are some of the worst offenders with that, but they have some of the most beautiful, innovative packaging. I wanted that look without the waste, and I wasn’t going to settle for less.
What is your favorite item in your shop?
The shave cube with the chrome stand. To me it is the clearest representation of my vision for my product line. But the bubble bath dough runs a very close second :)
3 favorite etsy shops.
Only three? I can’t answer that because I will thrown off several threads, completely ignored by my other great Etsy friends and then killed. I have at least 20 favorite Etsy shops!
Only three? I can’t answer that because I will thrown off several threads, completely ignored by my other great Etsy friends and then killed. I have at least 20 favorite Etsy shops!
Any last words?
Well, if your reading this, please take some time and check out Etsy.com. You’ll be doing some smart shopping from incredibly talented people.You’ll find the perfect gift, and look like a hero for finding it! Thanks for featuring me, and thank you for the interview! Oh, and don’t forget to check out my shop :)
Okay, lovelies, I have 3 tubs of Soft Bubble Bath Dough so that means 3 of you will win!
How do you win?
To enter:
- Go to Red Leaf and take a look around.
- Pick out your favorite item and scent.
- Come back here and comment with the name or link to your favorite item.
- To get extra entries: blog or twitter about this contest or vote for my site here and leave a link to it or what number vote you were in a separate comment.
- Anyone with a valid email address can enter. You don’t have to have a blog.
- The winners will be chosen using the integer generator on random.org and notified via email.
- Get your entries in by Saturday, December 6th at 11:59PM and you’re in!
Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed! You’ll be the first to hear about all the great giveaways and features going on!
Imagine these yummy things in your hot cocoa this winter!
Marshmallow sample pack: choose from chocolate, cardamom, caramel or maple.
$9 at Whimsy and Spice
My family never did stockings when I was growing up. It’s definitely a tradition I would like to start though, especially because there are such cute stockings out there!
row one: Tweet Baby Designs, Dana’s Designs, The Material Girl
row two: Toby Boo, With Love From Alabama , Rik Rak
row three: No Whining Pleez, Handmaiden’s Cottage , Fiber Garden
Do you hang stockings in your home?
Love in Chicago. I really want this! Christmas present, please?
There are also other cities available.
$15 at Art Shark Designs
Basically, this is Edie’s Christmas list. She said that any of her adoring fans should feel free to buy her any of these things. She’s a spoiled little corgi who will be getting a few things from her weak mommy who can’t stop showering her with adorableness!
row one: Mimi Green, Apartment C, Doggielicious Treats
row two: Classic Hound, Good Clean Dog, Mimi Green
row three: Organidog, Bice Designs, Hoverfly
What’s on your four legged friend’s wish list?
Saturday was the DIY Trunk Show here in Chicago. I had to go because I missed Renegade Craft Fair this summer because it poured buckets all weekend! I had recognized a few names on the vendor list that I loved so it was great seeing their work in person and meeting the lovely people behind it. Here are some of the things I got, I pulled pictures from their sites because I still do not have a new camera.
One of my first stops was Laura George. I hosted a giveaway from her shop a few months ago on my personal blog before I started this one. She was one of the first Etsy Adore features and is one of my favorite etsy shops. It’s was awesome being able to meet her and see everything up close. I had such a hard time picking out what I wanted but ended up walking away with a print and two cards of prints I really like. I plan of framing the cards. The print is also one of my favorites and I managed to score the last one.
(Left: All We Need print, Top Right: Bookish Red, Bottom Right: Bookish Green)
Next up was Megan Lee Designs, another shop I had a giveaway for on my personal blog. Megan has tons of amazing things in her shop and at her booth but I had my eye on one of her sock dogs. Mine looks a little like this little one. Cute isn’t it?
While walking around, I was surprised to see Orange Beautiful. I completely forgot they were from Chicago so it was great to find their booth there! I picked up these prints that I just so happened to post about a couple weeks ago. I am also really loving their 2009 calendar. It’s pretty fab but I spent was more than I had expected too already.
I got a couple other small things but these were the big ones.
I’m really looking forward to Renegade Craft Fair in a couple of weeks now!
COMMENTS CLOSED
This week’s etsy adore feature is from Sassy Apron. I did a feature and giveaway with Lana a few months back and was a smashing success. I just had to get her back to do a fabulous giveaway just in time for the holidays!
Lana says, “I called my store ‘Sassy Apron’ because these aprons are not my gramma’s aprons. They represent my generation. They are made for sassy women that - want it all and do it all - and don’t mind having fun in the kitchen too!”
top row: Tiffany and Turkish Delight (my favorite!)
bottom row: Petal Sweet Tooth and Morning Glory
Lana specially made this holiday themed apron just for the readers of Oh How Lovely Shops. Picture yourself bustling around the kitchen preparing all of favorite dishes in this adorable apron:
How do you win this Sassy Apron of your own?
To enter:
- Go to Sassy Apron and take a look around.
- Pick out your favorite item.
- Come back here and comment with the name or link to your favorite item.
- To get extra entries: blog or twitter about this contest or vote for my site here and leave a link to it or what number vote you were in a separate comment.
- Anyone with a valid email address can enter. You don’t have to have a blog.
- The winners will be chosen using the integer generator on random.org and notified via email.
- Get your entries in by Saturday, November 29th at 11:59PM and you’re in!
Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed! You’ll be the first to hear about all the great giveaways and features going on!
