Some amaziingly creative women

Well, with Winter really, finally over (I know cause I went & took out the groundhog) we can start to look forward to 60 & 70 degree weather. Maybe we will even get some sun thrown in for good measure.

Since I have been tied to my house by snow, snow, ice and more snow, I have started searching some of my social networking sites to find some amazing women and the businesses they have created. I plan on placing orders with all of these ladies in the future for myself and for gifts. If and when you have time be sure to check their websites out.

http://www.onceuponapuzzle.com Beth makes wonderful story puzzles & is working on making puzzles out of your pictures. You provide the names of your child/grandchild and add some friends and your city, neighborhood and she makes a personalized puzzle out of that information.

http://www.littleladybugdesigns.com Kim designs custom announcements, cards, invitations and more. I am checking with her to get some Loyalty Cards for my Handmade, Cold Processed Soaps. I have seen a Christmas Card that she designed and it was so pretty that I still have it hanging on my 'fridge.

http://www.simplymeltaway.com Kandi makes the most yummy candle melts that I have ever smelled!! Full of fragrance that just doesn't quit and no dyes... this is a Must See site.

My last recomendation is http://www.ourcreativehands.com Rachel and Steve make some adorable dolls and bunnies, the Raggedy Ann and Andy sets are SOOO cute and my Grand-daughter loves hers. Their wooden pieces are so useful, like the peg boards and wooden shelves just wonderful to help train your kids to hang up their coats and shirts. The shelves are nice to hold their small treasures as well as their coats.

Seriously, check out these sites


Website: http://www.bryassoapbox.com
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First Craft Show a Success

Just finished my first craft show of the year...I consider it a success. Of course I didn't make as much as I had hoped but still not bad. Got lots of great comments on the fragrances of my soaps and their appearance. I have to admit that I think my soap has a very pretty look. I was placed next to a very nice lady who was actually my first customer. She had some interesting hand colored prints really beautiful geometric shapes and she used colored pencils instead of using paints they were so gorgeous and very inexpensive. She also used acrylic paints and painted "pet" rocks they were really pretty and those went over very well at the show.

Can't wait for my next show in 2 weeks.


Website: http://www.bryassoapbox.com
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Twitter: http://twitter.com/bryassoapbox

What's New At Bryas

With Winter almost over it is time to get started on signing up for the craft shows in my area. The first one is coming up March 5 (this Saturday) at Loyalsock High School and the next will be March 26 at Williamsport High School, their Spring Show. I am leaving a couple of weekends open since I am also on a mission to get all the rooms in my house painted and my boyfriend wants me to paint his place also. Since he his helping me I have to help him out also.

There are a few new soaps I have done that will be put onto my website in the near future. But we will be waiting until the site is freshened up a bit, Lisa, my web designer, is working on a section of the website to show me what she has in mind. Since I am in need of visual aides and can't picture what she was telling me, Lisa decided to do 1 section of the site then I can deside if I like it or not. Since Lisa is such a great designer I can't imagine not liking it. The newest osaps are Almond Biscotti which is one of my favorites right up there with Orange Hibiscus and Burnt Orange Patchouli, Sunshine Magic, Autumn Apples, Ginger Coconut Almond, Fresh Lime Ginger and one that I am calling (temporarily) May Chang (the name of the Essential Oil used)...I will be having a contest to name this soap and maybe a contest to re-name Sunshine Magic. One contest will be just for my craft shows and the other will be for the Web so check back often for contest details.

I have just taken on 3 new companies, in addition to my own lines and will be adding them to my
website in the future.

Loova Soaps they have some nice sponge soaps; these are actual sponges filled with a glycerine soap nicely scented and their Round Lotion Bars - the lotion bar really melts into your skin and is very fragrant.

SallyeAnders Soaps they have some great scented soaps like Milk and Mint and Almond Goat Milk soap. They also have a line of chocolate soaps which are so YUM! I have Chocolate Orange, Chocolate Mint, Chocolate Raspberry, White Chocolate and plain old Milk Chocolate. I picked this line up at a trade show and I knew how nice the soaps were because our local Natural Health Food Store stocks their Hog Wash soap which is great for anyone who gardens.

La Crema Coffee they have some of the yummiest gourmet coffee, found this company at the Philadelphia Gift Show also. I decided to order their Girlfriends Package and will be offering this on my website also.

Thank you for reading

Website: http://www.bryassoapbox.com
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Winter, The End Is Near

Well Spring is almost here, I say almost because that Rodent, Phil the groundhog, is a sneaky rat; just when you think you can trust his prediction of no more snow it gets cold and drops 9 inches of the white junk! I am not the hunter type, don't care for guns, think this world would be much better off without guns of any kind......HOWEVER if I see just 1 more snowflake - well let me just say this - Phil, I know where Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania is and I will find you!

OK with my sense of directions, I have been known to get lost in a walk in closet, it may take a while to find good old Phil. But if I can remember to get out my GPS, well I will let you know where to send flowers to the groundhog


Website: http://www.bryassoapbox.com
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Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls

Well, getting home from work last evening I found a package waiting at my door. I quickly dropped everything on the floor, once I got inside the house of course, and tore open the package. There staring up at me were Raggedy Ann and Andy and all of a sudden I had a flash back to the pair of dolls my Aunt Bev made me when I was 5 years old. When I really looked at this pair of soft, smushy, squeezeable dolls, I was able to see all the love and care that the wonderful woman who created this duo put into them. Rachel Vargo, the owner (along with husband, Steve) of Our Creative Hands, http://www.ourcreativehands.com is amazing, their wooden products look beautiful and the dolls are just something else.

My grand-daughter, Kyra is soon to be 6 and she will be the proud recipient of these 2 dolls. I wonder if she will let me play with them??? In a time where everything seems so fast paced and toys that do everything for you, it is nice to have something that you can play with and create your own special world. Ann and Andy lets a child create a world of their own, one where imagination reigns supreme and everything is possible. Much like the beloved Winnie The Pooh, Raggedy Ann and Andy are a part of my fondest childhood memories. Like:

My big brother building me a fort made of sofa cushions and blankets so that my babies and I would have someplace to play make-believe. Always protesting having to crawl around to make sure my fort was just so, with windows and a back door for the cat to come in and out of, 4 years older than me, Fred always made sure everyone knew how put upon he was.....However when my Dad said he would build my forts, my brother made sure Dad knew that it was a brothers job to do that. My Dad, crawling into the fort to tell me that Mommy had supper ready and all us kids (Annie, Pooh, Andy and Me) had to go wash up. The tears when I tossed Annie and Andy (not Pooh, everybody knew that bears washed After supper not before) into the sink and then couldn't bring them to the supper table. And the laughter when my Mom tied the dolls to some twine and hung the twine from the kitchen cupboards the refrigerator door so that the babies could watch us "grown-ups" eat dinner.

Thank you so much, Rachel, for these beautiful dolls, they will be a treasure in my Grand-daughter's life for years to come. Also, thank you for jogging my memories of my Aunt Bev who passed away in 2010, I still have the Raggedy Ann & Andy dolls that she made for me and even though they are stained with dust and dirt smudges you can tell that they were much loved! And the memories of my Mom and Dad and all the silly things they did to make sure my playtime was so memorable. And especially the memories of a big brother doing things for his little sister that he considered beneath him but also that they were his job cuz only a big brother can do certain things. I'm going to call Fred to night just to remind him that his little sister loves him and wishes he could build her another fort just one more time....for old times sake.


Website: http://www.bryassoapbox.com
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