Skin Products from Etsy Shops

     In the past few years, I have made it a mission to find natural, homemade, homeopathic and organic body products.  It started after a few years of using a widely popular acne skin care product mainly advertised in infomercials.  You know the one.  It worked great on my skin but I noticed my towels and pillow cases were changing color as if being bleached.  It had to be the cleansers I was using.  It was.  I thought if this is happening to my towels what are these chemicals doing to my skin?  What horrible chemicals and bleaches are going onto my face and body?   After switching to several over the counter products and finding no success, I searched my tried and true Etsy!
     I found several great products, made by small business owners like me.  The products are hand made and organic.  And they work!  My problems have always been acne and dry skin areas on my cheeks.  I read thoroughly through the ingredients on several of these products.  My favorites being  from Good Earth Essentials, I have fallen in love with the Organic Foaming Facial Cleanser, vegan, with lavender and tea tree oil.  "Our non-irritating, all natural foaming face wash is a wonderfully gentle facial cleanser for all skin types. Excellent for sensitive and problem skin, without the harsh, stripping ingredients many commercial cleansers have, it cleans deeply, helping prevent blackheads and has the extra effective properties of tea tree and lavender essential oils.

Organic Foaming Facial Cleanser by Good Earth Essentials

     Also from Good Earth Essentials is the White Rose Gentle Face Creme.  I find this moisturizer to be very refreshing.  "Our rich, creamy White Rose facial moisturizer deeply hydrates, leaving a gentle whisper of pure fragrant, calming rose. Smooth and luxurious, it feels light, absorbs easily and does not leave an oily shine. It is effective for all skin types and works well under makeup. You will agree it smells positively divine, but ever so gentle, due to pure rose distillate used instead of water, and no other fragrance used."

White Rose Face Creme by Good Earth Essentials

     I love Good Earth Essentials products so much, I have started using the Lavender Tea Tree Deodorant.  After hearing news of my mother's breast cancer I looked all over for products without Aluminum.  Tom's of Maine is great but I thought I would change it up a bit.  After a month of using it, I love it!

     One of my favorite soap companies is Blushie (on etsy).  Not all ingredients are organic but they are wonderfully moisturizing and gentler than commercial made soaps.

Gypsy Woods Handcrafted Soap by Blushie

     Last but not least, I recently became enamored with the Rosemary Mint Lotion Bar from Hidden Acres Soap Co.  "Rosemary Mint is a popular, classic scent -a clean and refreshing herbal mind and body energizing treat."  I have tried Frankincense and Myrrh and Lemongrass Cedarwood as well.  I keep a tin by my bed and on the side table of my chair.  This dry weather it has been a goddess send.

Rosemary Mint Lotion Bar by Hidden Acres Soap Co.

Links to these shops and more!

Hidden Acres Soap Company: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HiddenAcresSoapCo?ref=shopsection_shophome_leftnav

Good Earth Essentials: https://www.etsy.com/shop/goodearthessentials?ref=shopsection_shophome_leftnav

Blushie: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Blushie?ref=shopsection_shophome_leftnav

My Summer of Classic Movies

I have always had a love of old movies since I was a little girl.  I would watch them with my Grandmothers, when silver screen era movies would come on in the afternoon.  This was way before TCM ( Turner Classic Movies) was on the air.  I remember black and white greats such as It's a Wonderful Life, Ball of Fire and The Canterville Ghost.  I have been watching TCM since it fist aired 20 years ago off and on, since I didn't always have cable.  Within the last 8 years, my T.V. is always on this channel. 
I made my first visit to Hollywood, CA. this Spring for the TCM Classic Movie Film Festival.  The film festival was something I had always wanted to attend since it started 5 years ago.  My sister and I went for 4 days of non stop classics.  I saw great interviews with legends such as Maureen O'Hara, Mel Brooks and Richard Dreyfuss.  I even met Ben Mankiewicz out by the pool of The Roosevelt Hotel.  Okay, I am starting to ramble now.  This Summer I have seen several movies that I have never seen before.  August is Summer Under the Stars at TCM.  A different star for each day of the month.  I will not get into every day or every actor/actress but I will hit on a few of the films that are new to me.

Claudette Colbert has always been one of my favorite actresses along with Barbara Stanwyck and Jean Arthur.  I was introduced to one her films just the other night, Three Came Home (1950).  She plays real life author Agnes Newton Keith in her own story of how she was held in a prison with her young son by the Japanese in WWII.  I figured this would be some watered down version of what happened since the movie was made in 1950.  I was surprised by how wrong I was.  It is not easy to watch as issues of starvation, sickness and violence against the women is expressed.  I am thinking of one scene in particular where Colbert's character is violently attacked by a guard and when she comes forward with the assault accusation, more brutality is brought upon her. Colbert's acting is superb as is that of her co stars, Patric Knowles, Sylvia Andrew and Florence Desmond.

I Was a Fugitive From a Chain Gang is a classic Paul Muni film, but one I had never seen before was Dr. Socrates (1935).  Somewhat shy and reserved Dr. Caldwell is the new doctor in town.  He inadvertently becomes the doctor to wounded gangsters.  A beautiful woman, played by the charming Ann Dvorak, is introduced into the mix and situations spiral out of control.  Of course, a happy Hollywood ending arrives but not before Dr. Caldwell's great escape and a thrilling police/mobster shootout.  Muni and Dvorak are great together again (Scarface 1932). 

The Letter (1940) with Bette Davis is a favorite of mine.  Bette is wonderful as is Herbert Marshall and Gale Sondergaard.  A must see!  So of course when the original 1929 version of The Letter was being shown, I had to watch.  This time Jeanne Eagels, Reginald Owen and Lady Tsen Mei as the leads.  Herbert Marshall is also in this version as a different character.  A pre code film full of murder, cheating, lying and adultery.  It does not deliver the mystery and punch of the later version but Eagels does deliver as the love crazed adulteress wife who kills her lover.  Watch both to compare. 

Several more movies to go.  I have Thelma Ritter films recorded as well as the horror classic Dr. X with Lee Tracy.  My Summer of classic movies continues.  For more information on TCM schedule and these movies go to: http://www.tcm.com/

Favorite Books Part II: Good Winter Reads

On cold snowy days like today, I just want to curl up in a comfy chair with some hot tea and a good book.  

In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, is one of those great reads.  It is the documentary of a true crime that happened on November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas.  Four members of the Clutter family were brutally murdered in their home. 
 Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers.

"The book examines the complex psychological relationship between two parolees, who together commit a mass murder. Capote's book also explores the lives of the victims and the effect of the crime on the community where they lived. In Cold Blood is regarded by critics as a pioneering work of the true crime genre. "

I found this book so suspenseful and difficult to put down.  Every now and then I felt I needed to look over my shoulder. 


On the lighter side, I recommend Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris.  Sedaris is one of my all time favorite authors.
This is a collection of short stories where Sedaris "reveals the absurdity of ordinary life".  Vacation with his family, a visit to a morgue, his brother's wedding and more.   He has a way of making even the worst of circumstances funny. 

I laugh out loud every time I read one his books!  Others include: Me Talk Pretty One Day, Holidays on Ice and When You Are Engulfed in Flames.

What are you reading?

Favorite Movies IV: Scary Movies

With only one more week left before Halloween, I am writing my last "scary movies" post.  If you have read my previous posts, you know I have covered classic "terror tales", comedies and suspense. 
More modern day horror flicks seem to be more about gore than anything but I think I have found a few with a happy medium between blood and fear.  Of course no Halloween would be complete without John Carpenter's 1978 Halloween starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasance and P.J. Soles.  (I have not seen the remake).  Michael Myers has broken free from an institution he has been in since childhood, when he killed his older sister.  Now he wants the younger sister (Curtis) he never knew.  Of course he mindlessly kills her friends while he's at it.  Full of jumps, slashing and a creepy piano tune that constantly plays throughout the film, this is a must see!

The most recent movie I have seen pertaining to  the Halloween season is Trick or Treat  (2007) starring Anna Paquin, Dylan Baker and Lauren Lee Smith.  The movie weaves four  stories that occur on Halloween: "An everyday high school principal has a secret life; a college virgin might have just met the one guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband."  Oh and a creepy little guy keeps showing up! 


The Orphanage (El orfanato) 2007 is filmed in Spain.  A former orphan Laura (Belen Rueda) raises her adopted son Simón with her husband Carlos(Fernando Cayo)  in an old house and former orphanage where she was raised. Simón tells Laura that he has five invisible friends, and she believes they are fruit of his imagination. Laura decides to reopen an orphanage for handicapped children in the location and during the opening party, the busy Laura does not give much attention to her son; then she sees a mysterious masked boy and Simón vanishes.  This movie has great twists and turns.  I highly recommend it!  In Spanish with English subtitles.

These three movies will make for a great movie marathon come Halloween night!  Enjoy and as always, I would love your recommendations!

Favorite Movies III: Classic Terror Tales

 

I love these classic films.  I am reminded of late nights curled up on the couch  with my older sisters.  I wasn't supposed to be watching for I would get nightmares.  It sounds stupid now that I would get creeped out by these films but I was  just a kid after all.

Boris Karloff preferred the term "Terror Tales" to Horror Films.  One of my most favorite B.K. films is the The Body Snatcher 1945.  No, it has nothing to with aliens taking over humans bodies.   Set in Edinburgh in 1831, Dr. MacFarlane (Henry Daniell) runs a medical school where a young student, Fettes, is interested in helping a young girl who has lost the use of her legs. He is certain that MacFarlane's surgical skills could be put to great use but MacFarlane needs to do more studies.  The good Dr. MacFarlane  has been paying a local cab driver (Karloff), to supply him with dead bodies for anatomical research.  Has his position of grave robber become even more sinister?  Also on the Boris Karloff list: The Mummy 1932, it stills gives me the creeps when he comes back to life.  The Old Dark House 1932, Frankenstein 1931 and Bedlam 1941.

Bela Lugosi is known mostly for his portrayal of Count Dracula in 1931's Dracula.  I have to see this movie every Halloween. He plays side kick to the doctor in  The Body Snatcher,  and evil doctor in The Devil Bat 1940.  "A mad scientist develops an aftershave lotion that causes his gigantic bats to kill anyone who wears it".

One day on TCM, the whole day was dedicated to Vincent Price.  What a great day that was!  Just looking at this guy gives a chill up and down the spine.  House of Wax, 1953, is the story of a horribly disfigured sculptor who opens up the House of Wax in New York, using the wax-covered bodies of his victims as his displays. A young Charles Bronson gives an appearance.  Other faves included are: The House on Haunted Hill1959, The Fly1958, The Bat 1959. 

Lon Cheney Jr. is wonderful as The Wolfman 1941.  A  man returns to his home, is attacked by a creature of folklore, and infected with a horrific disease.   Even though he tries to fight it he cannot.

Other greats not to miss include: 

I Walked with a Zombie 1943,

A young nurse comes to Haiti to care for Jessica, the wife of a plantation manager (Paul Holland). Jessica seems to be suffering from a kind of mental paralysis as a result of fever. When the nurse falls in love with Paul, she is determined to cure Jessica even if she needs to use a voodoo ceremony. 

The Haunting 1963, An insecure young woman finds she cannot leave this mysterious mansion.
The Devil Doll 1936, with Lionel Barrymore in drag.

Nosferatu 1929, silent but scary.

This whole month on TCM you can see most of these wonderful movies! www.tcm.com

Favorite Causes: Fight for the Cure

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. For that month, I am donating 30% of all sales from Glazed Earth and Finn Gallery, to Susan G. Komen For the Cure of Kansas City.
 
Susan G. Komen for the Cure
http://www.komenkansascity.org/

Finn Gallery
http://www.etsy.com/shop/FinnGallery

 

 Glazed Earth
http://www.etsy.com/shop/glazedearth

Thanks for your support!

Favorite New Etsy Shops! part II

While talking on the Etsy forums, I ran across a shop that is new to Etsy!  Let's give a warm greeting to Jacqueline Jewelry!

Jacqueline designs "one-of-a-kind handmade beaded jewelry pieces along with home decor items for the casual craft lover as well as serious collectors." Much of her jewelry is wire wrapped and handcrafted from Sterling Silver and/or copper. She uses semi-precious stones and a variety of other high quality materials.

 Jacqueline creates items that are bohemian to elegant.  Her aim is to "provide products that are well-made, lasting and unique."

"The concepts of the preciousness and sacredness of the everyday run through my work. I create pieces that are accessible to a wide audience, and trust that the forms and materials I use appeal to people on many different levels. Treating each piece as an individual piece of wearable art, I create timeless jewelry meant for both the casual craft lover and the serious art collector."
- Jacqueline


One of my faves from her shop...perfect for the wine drinker and for the upcoming holiday parties!

"Add a little style to your glassware and never again have to answer the question: "Is that glass mine?" "
http://www.etsy.com/shop/JacquelineJewelry