Shops of the day from the PCF team!

    Good morning! Today I wanted to share with you one of the Teams I am a member of on Etsy.com.  The teams name is Promoting Creative Friends. If you like being a member of an active promotion team that works together to promote each other, this is the team for you!
    Here are some links to the team so you can go check them out.
on etsy.com-  http://www.etsy.com/teams/10036/promoting-creative-friends

They blog too!   http://www.pcfteam.blogspot.com/

The blog is AWESOME! Go Check it out! It will really give you an idea of what the team is about!

So, with that said, Its time to promote some super cool shops! First up is TheColorfulClover

This shop is super cute! they make head bands for infants that are so neat! Makes me wish My girls where little again... oh wait! I have a friend due soon! :)))Here is two of my favorite items from their shop!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/100932351/fireworks-ribbon-lace-elastic-headband

http://www.etsy.com/listing/105515530/double-scoop-of-bubble-gum-headband-baby?ref=v1_other_2

I really wish I could post photos of these items right here on my blog! I think It would be much better that way... So if there is a way please let me know!

Alright on with the next! Maree's Treasures is chalk full of Holloween fun right now! I adore this festive sign she designed! But I cant post the photo! Go to the link to see my favorite and find yours too!
happy halloween welcoming sign or how bout this one?! rustic halloween sign

Ok, now this shop makes me say," How on Earth do you do that?!" Welcome to RainbowOrigami! In this shop you will find brightly colored Origami boxes, ornaments, balls, tons of stuff! 2d and 3d. Oh the things I could make! The first thing that comes to mind is to make a mobile from a few of this shops creations! Here are some that caught my eye! origami sturdy ball red white and pink and christmas origami octagon box red green.

Last on our shop of the day list today is a great shop that the men in your life are sure to love! Beer Suds. As the name suggests, this shop make handmade soap with beer as the liquid base for the soap! I Think I just found stocking stuffers for my hubby! Here are a couple I think we will be trying out! I'll let you know how great they are in a future blog! :) lavender lager beer soap<-- Ok, This one might go in my stocking! :) green mountain ipa beer soap he can have that one! ;)

So that concludes my Shop of the Day tour from Promoting Creative Friends! I hope you do check out these great shops and if you are new to etsy EXPLORE! there are some really great shops that are just waiting to be discovered by you! And remember behind every great store you find is a unique individual, such as myself. Get to know your favorite shop owners! Many of us have blogs such as this one and are on facebook as well! Hope to see you around!

Be Blessed!
Jessi
Simply Sassys Creations

Homemade bath paints!!!

Hey friends! So for those of you with kids, I just did a fun, quick little craft time with my kidos! They had a blast! We MADE bath paints! :)))I felt I should share with all of you! So, first things first. Your shopping list is below:

What you will need:
        - some sort of smallish, plastic containers. I found storage cups at Micheal's. They came in a pack of 9 (1.6 fl oz per cup) for about $5
        - food coloring!
        - baby wash or shampoo ( I used Lullabies from Walmart $1)
        - cornstarch ( great value for $1.25)

So what do you do now?
Well.... make a mess with your kids of course! :)

First, pour some baby wash/shampoo into your containers. ** There will be stirring! Leave some room! (about 3/4 full)

Next, add about 1/2 tsp of cornstarch to the baby wash.

Then, have your kids stir it gently. Make sure it is mixed really well so there are no lumps.

Now it's time to add your coloring! Add as much or as little as you like. Don't forget to play with the colors! Have your kids mix different colors to see what colors they can come up with!

Below is a photo of my beautiful princesses in a "goofy" moment after finishing our first set of colors!

This little project can help your kids discover all the different color combinations that you can make with the primary colors. It also helps with kids who do not like bath time. And saves you money on all those bath paints and crayons (Ya know, the ones that don"t easily come off of the tub?). It's also great family fun! So, Have fun and enjoy a "clean" mess!

Save some cash by using some of your spare time!

Good morning everyone! So, in my first blog I said I wanted to cover a few different topics. One topic? SAVING MONEY!!!! So I figured I would start with this one pretty simple tip.

              MAKE YOUR OWN LAUNDRY SOAP!!!
I started making my own laundry soap about 9 months ago. I can tell you I have cleaner cloths and have saved at least $150 dollars already! For six months worth of supplies to make this laundry I spent about $10 at Walmart. How much do you spend for laundry soap a month? 15-25 dollars? how bout six months of soap for less than what you pay for a month! And it WORKS!!!! My opinion, (and my moms now!) IT works better than the leading brand you pay top dollar for!

-safe for front loaders (don't be fooled by the minimal soap suds! It's working!)
-three trusted ingredients
-gentle enough for most babies
-cost less than $10!!!!!!

Directions:


You will need:
1/3 Fels-naptha bar soap (its in the laundry aisle)
1cup arm and hammer super washing soda
1/2 cup 20 mule borax
Essential oil ( optional)


Bring four cups of water to boil in a
large pot.
Shred 1/3 bar soap and add it to the boiling water
Stir in 1 cup washing soda
Stir in 1/2 borax
Stir constantly until it's all dissolved. About ten minutes. Give or take a few minutes. The mixture will be slightly thickened and a soapy color. Once it's all dissolved pour mix into a large bucket. ( I cleaned out my 10 quart mop bucket) add one gallon of water to the mixture. This is where you should add a few drops of essential oil if you like. Be careful! A little goes a long way!
Stir mixture well and pour into the storage container of your choice. I used two old laundry detergent bottles. ;) let it set for 24 hours and Just stir it up/ shake it to mix it all up. And your good to go. I got all the ingredients at walmart in the laundry isle for about $10.


After I posted this on my Facebook page a friend gave me a couple more suggestions for laundry SOFTENER! The one I use is buy a bottle of your favorite LIQUID  laundry softener and a non scrubby sponge. Cut the sponge in half. In a bucket, with a lid for storage,(less than $5 at home depot) put two cups of liquid laundry softener and about 2 litters of water. Mix well and through the sponge in the bucket. It's ready to use! Whenever you are ready to use it just wring the sponge out a bit and throw it in with cloths in the drier! It's that easy!

 My friend also suggested a vinegar rinse. "Get cleaner laundry! Add about 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar to the last rinse. The acid in white distilled vinegar is too mild to harm fabrics, yet strong enough to dissolve the alkalies in soaps and detergents. Besides removing soap, white distilled vinegar prevents yellowing, acts as a fabric softener and static cling reducer, and attacks mold and mildew." - http://www.vinegartips.com

I just discovered this site! Looks like it has a bunch more tips to use vinegar! so here is the link if you would like to see some other great ways to use this versatile product!

http://www.vinegartips.com

Promoting Creative Friends!

Good morning! So guess I will do more than one blog a week. Well, this week anyways.
 
On my path to being a successful  etsy.com shop owner, I am now learning to market myself and the usefulness of promoting other shops.Yes, Promoting OTHER shops! The idea behind this is that if you help promote a fellow Etsian they will in turn promote you to their friends and fans as well. That means you are getting your name out to people who other wise would have never heard of you. So far this is working for me. I am getting more views in my shop. I have went from having no views, or just a handful when I post a new item, to averaging about 50 a day this week. I know this doesn't seem like a lot, but it is a marked improvement over nothing!

  Therefore, in my quest to help promote myself by promoting other great and talented artist, I want to introduce you to a few shops that have popped up on my radar!


If you need something to keep your little critters warm you need to stop by and see Lindsay at  Little Paws! she makes warm sweaters and clothing for your canine friends! to easily find her shop click on the link below!

http://www.etsy.com/people/LittlePawsKnitting

I love anyone who up cycles items that they have found in thrift store ect. Its a great way to save yourself some money and have unique items that are usable. but lets face it, not all of us are crafty or we may just not have time to do it our selves! So here a nifty shop on etsy that will do just that for you! Deb's up cycles (and crochets too!) by Deb smith. her shop consists of pillow covers, gift bags, trivets, and coaster. All from items she has up cycled! Please visit her shop and help us tell the world about reinventing old things!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/debupcycles

Are you a scrapbooker? If so I know the place you need to go for awesome embellishments for your next page! Visit Lou at Lou studio for cute tags, embellishments and even handmade cards!


http://www.etsy.com/shop/loustudio

Well my last shout out of the day goes to Pigs Wife by Connie. First off, you have to check out her shop because that, is an intriguing name, if I do say so myself! Pigs Wife items include handmade stuffed animals, crocheted flying disks, hair bows, lip balm holders, and much more!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/pigswife


All right, for anyone who has never visited the great site of etsy, it is a MUST!!! you can find just about anything there! Beautiful, handmade and vintage items of every taste! Etsy.com is one of the coolest marketplaces of all times! I know you will find something special for yourself and everyone else! go check it out!

to visit my shop of handmade jewelry please visit   http://www.etsy.com/shop/SimplySassysCreation

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog!
I'll see you soon!

Jess

The Basics of ME!

  First of all, HI! and Welcome! This will be my first blog post ever! I hope I don't bore you. My main goal with this blog is to let people know who I am. With that being said I suppose I should get started.

  My name is Jessica Owens. I recently married the man of dreams (that's why the name is different) I am currently 28 years old. My husband and I have three of the best children that anyone could ask for! Two girls and one boy, and one brother dog!
 
  I live in Connecticut. However, I was born and raised in Indiana. I have two brothers and one sister. My sister is the oldest of us all, and has four of the coolest kids ever! ( I my be a little bias...) I have a little brother that is currently a senior in high school. And my twin brother.... I have lots of stories to share on growing up with a twin that is the exact opposite of you. But I 'll save that for later.

  My parents where divorced when I was young. My father never remarried. My mom did. That's how I met NANA! Nana is my (step) Grandma. She got me into crafting , drawing, painting, knitting,... the list goes on. She is a big part of who I am as a crafter today.

  I now create jewelry. I have found that I LOVE wire and pearls! They are my favorite medium so far. My style of jewelry is quite varied. So far I have done classic designs with pearls. My favorite is posted above. A little punk rock mixed with a bit of elegance as pictured below.

And my latest is a bit abstract...

  So as you can see, my styles I create are as varied as the people who wear them! I Love It!

To sum it up, I am a wife, mother, daughter,grand daughter, sister, aunt, crafter, jewelry designer (self proclaimed) and business owner. That is the basics of me.

If you happen to like my jewelry posted here, all three of them are listed at my shop on   etsy.com. the linkj to my shop is below.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SimplySassysCreation

and you can check me out on facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/Simplysassyscreations

My posts following this one will be more about where I get my inspirations for my crafts and jewelry, links to tutorials to make your own stuff, and probably some of the things I do to save money for my household. Because who doesn't like to save money right?! I will attempt to do at least one blog a week.

Hope to see you all here again!
Please subscribe to this blog to keep up with me.