Birthday SALE

BIRTHDAY SALE!!!
It's the week of my birthday so let's celebrate!! BUY ANY THREE ITEMS, get the FOURTH ITEM FREE (free item is of equal or lesser value). Just purchase all 4 items, and I will refund the price of the FREE item. Offer good from 9/28/08 to 10/4/08.

Also....keep a lookout for special "BIRTHDAY SALE" items throughout the week as I will be hiding them in my shop each day!

Don't forget to enter the give-away!!! See post below!

GIVE-AWAY!!!!

I've decided to try and start doing 1 give-away per month on my blog! My goal is to have give-aways from different Etsy shops, but until then, the first give-away will be right from Sassy Bows Boutique!! The give-away will run from 9/26/08 to 10/3/08 and the winner will be chosen on 10/4/08. All you have to do is go to my shop pick out something you like (click on any Sassy Bows Boutique picture on the right), then come back to my blog and comment on this post with your favorite item and your email address! It's that easy!

Your next question is...what do I win???? You will receive the sweet flower crochet clippies in the picture above! These are great for adults all the way to infants, so this is a give-away for everyone! Clippies are also great stocking stuffers!

Who doesn't love cupcakes?!

I don't have a featured seller for this week, but I did want to feature an adorable item I found on Etsy! Check out the link at: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14700990
There are some cute things on there and everything is so bright!!

Featured Seller: Ellembee

Our Featured seller for this week is Ellembee! She makes amazing shirts for young and old by using screen printing! I haven't purchased one of her shirts yet, but I plan on doing so in the very near feature, because I keep looking at the Entanglement long sleeve tee above! I hope you enjoy reading her interview and check out her shop! Thanks, Lisa for doing this interview!
You can visit her by clicking on the etsy-mini on the left or by going to
http://www.ellembee.etsy.com


How long have you been screen printing and working with clothing, and how did
you become interested in it?

I just started screen printing about 5 months ago. I was a bedding designer in California for the past 4 years, until I got laid off in January. I moved back to Michigan, where I grew up, and had to find a way to make some money! I had taken a screen printing class in college, so I knew the basics. I looked at some how-to videos on Youtube, and read a few books on the subject, and just sort of fumbled my way through figuring out how to do it!

From where do you draw your inspiration?

I get inspiration from the weirdest places! Usually, I'll glance at something and think it's something else. That sounds weird. lol. For example!: the other day I was driving and I saw this billboard that had a huge key drawn on it. But the drawing was pretty bad, and I couldn't tell right away what it was, and it sort of looked like a city skyline to me. A few seconds later I realized that it was a key, but I thought that a skyline would look really cool printed on a shirt, and now that will be one of my designs coming out on a hoodie for my fall line.

What is your personal favorite of your collection and why?

I have a love/hate relationship with lacy indigo. The design that I originally thought of for that shirt looks totally different. I sort of happened upon the way it ended up looking, and I think it turned out great. That shirt is my best seller, and I think it's the most original in my line, but because of the bleaching process that I do, and the intricacy of the design, I mess up a lot of them that can't be sent out, (that's the part I hate!)

What do you do to stay positive as an independent business owner?

I LOVE working for myself! I love the fact that how much money I make is completely up to me; I take full responsibility for my income. With amazing places like etsy.com and the local craft fairs that I do, the sky is the limit. I find myself working 14-hour days, 6 and 7 days a week, and it doesn't even faze me, because I love what I'm doing! I love my job!

Lastly, is there anything else you want my readers to know?

Just that I think they'd be really happy with any of the items in my line! When I got started, I really wanted to be able to affect the way someone feels with my clothing. I love going into a dressing room at a store and trying on an outfit that looks so cute on you, and makes you feel so good, that you have to jump up and down! (Am I the only one that does that?!) Anyway, that's how I came up with my slogan ellembee- hand printed clothes that'll make you jump up and down! I love that I get to help people feel good about themselves!

Saturday Night Special!

It's that time again! I haven't had a Saturday night special in a bit, so I'm excited to offer one tonight!

Buy 3 items and get the 4th one FREE!! Free item must be of equal or lesser value. Just purchase all the items and I will refund the FREE item price through Paypal.

Thanks and have fun shopping!

Featured Seller: Crowley Manor

Do you love amazing smelling soaps?!? Then I have found the lady for you! Patricia, with Crowley Manor, will blow your mind with her soaps! She is located right here in Colorado, so that makes her even more special. My husband uses her soaps in the shower and I have her soap in the kitchen as well. Our favorites are Into the Woods, Lemongrass, and Almond Sunset. Although I did just get a shipment from her, and my new favorite is the Pumpkin Harvest! She is always coming out with different scents, and they are always sure to amaze the senses. Thank so much Patricia for doing this interview!

Visit Crowley Manor at: http://www.crowleymanor.etsy.com

How did you get started?

As long as I can remember, I have felt the need to create to be content, I draw, paint on silk, owned a stained glass design studio, designed unique one of a kind handbags (another shop on Etsy adesignerhandbag.etsy.com). It is what drives me and defines me. The longing to put out a great product, and most importantly to bring a smile to the receiver of the product, is the driving force.
One day I decided it would be fun to try soapmaking. Colorado is a very dry climate, and very unkind to my skin. I buried myself in books researching the soapmaking process, took classes with a certified soapmaker and essential oil expert who specializes in certified organic products, began studying herbs and essential oils and their effect on the skin and how people respond to scents, and how it may set the mood for a moment or a day. Also, knowing that goat milk is a wonderful humectant and very close to the skin’s natural ph level , I choose to also offer goat milk soap. I am also aware though that some of us, wish for natural products which are vegan as well, and therefore, I aim to keep all of us happy!
Long story short, I didn’t wish for store bought goat milk and researched dairy goats, ones which had the highest butterfat content (for the creamiest soaps and if by chance I ever find the time, I will also make Chevre cheese) I searched for just the right goats for over a year, crossing Colorado from one end to the next, as I wished to see the stock first hand. I fell in love with the Nigerian dwarf breed, due to their demeanor, size and that almighty yummy milk! My husband is the Crowley part, of Irish decent, I could not use Crowley Castle as it still stands (one wall of it) in Cork County, Ireland dating back to the feudal era. So, the next best thing, we would be Crowley Manor. It’s all in fun and certainly better than “Goatzilla” as my dear husband would have had us call the herd.

What inspires you?

Ah… soap scents, my mind always wonders…happy, sad, energized, relaxed, depending on my mood, I begin playing with the essential oils, or driving in the mountains I want to relay a certain feeling. Imagine the warm sun on your skin…..maybe transports you to the tropics. Close your eyes, can you smell the ocean, or the scent of sweet almonds and oranges. Perhaps it’s in the midst of winter and you can’t wait to get home and away from 6 feet of snow piling up outside, turn the key, open the door and a wonderful aroma of hot tea and cinnamon wafts through the room…that’s how the ideas pop into my head. My favorites in the winter Oatmeal Milk and Honey with the coffee bean, it is a very comforting winter scent or the Fireside Orange Spice, Spring I enjoy the Into the woods unisex bar or Lavender and for those hot summer days the citrusy bars such as Lemongrass, or Royal Riverbend are some of my favorites.

What do you love most about Etsy?

I came across Etsy quite by chance a couple of years ago, I was googling something, found a shop of interest with a link to Etsy and the rest is history. There is not one particular feature that stands in mind at this time, as again that will depend whether I am chatting with other etsyans, or answering and reading through the forums, but I can say that Etsy is a very positive experience for me and that I am making friends worldwide who would never entered my realm had it not been for Etsy and I am very thankful for all whom I have met thus far.

What do you enjoy doing when you aren't creating amazing soaps?

In the bit of time that is left, I visit my two horses who are boarded on a ranch about 15 mins. from our house. I wish they could be with us full-time to, but this works best for us this way. They have a 50 acre pasture with a running creek in a pretty mountain meadow. It is funny to see them galloping across the pasture to meet us, as they know that I have their grain bucket in hand, ready to give them a treat. My Morgan/Arab "Beau" is 15 but you would think he is a teenager still and always full of pranks and surprises.Our quarterhorse "Dreamweaver" is younger but quite a gentleman and a sweetheart of a horse. He is a full 16 hands and a beautiful sorrel color with white socks. If not with them we play with the goats and our English bulldogs Dozer and Rocky and last and not least "Shibi" our rescue Dutch Sheperd. We enjoy going for mountain rides in a 1992 "Smurf" blue miata that my husband is constantly refurbishing :)in search of new vistas. We just love life here in the Colorado mountains and feel very lucky to live here.

Sassy Paci Clips!

I'm proud to introduce our new line...the Sassy Paci Clips!!! What a great way to keep track of your baby's pacifier in style! I will be adding more styles every week, so keep a look out! Each pacifier clip comes with a plastic clip to attach to clothing. The other end has a snap on it, which will attach to most pacifiers on the market, excluding a few. I am waiting for a shipment of silicone rings adapters for those button pacifiers, and will make those available once I receive them for an additional charge.