Fresh Off the Curing Rack

Let's give a big welcome back to my Carbon soap! It's the first soap made by me in 2010. Yay!



We like to use Carbon on our faces in the morning. It contains bentonite clay and activated charcoal, plus a blend of lavender, tea tree, and lime essential oils. You can find my Carbon soap in any of my three shops (Etsy, 1000Markets, and ArtFire. Carbon soap, $5.00)

Thanksgiving Weekend Sale

This weekend in all of my shops I'm offering a free lip or cuticle balm with your purchase of a bar of soap, sugar scrub, facial scrubbing mask, solid perfume, or fizzy milk and mineral bath. Wow! Buy a great gift for yourself or someone special, and get a free stocking stuffer! Sale ends Monday, so be sure to check it out before it's too late.

My Etsy.

My 1000Market.

My ArtFire.

Friday Feature

For today's Friday Feature, I thought I'd do something a bit different. Since tomorrow is my very favorite holiday, today I'm featuring some wonderful handmade Halloween goodies! Enjoy!

Let's start off with an adorable lampwork pirate pig bead. There were so many beads in Gelly's shop, that it was hard to decide. But the pirate piggy's name made the choice for me... Take a look at Capn Jack Sparerib! (Capn Jack Sparerib lampwork bead, $30.00)

The doggie costumes in Spoiled Bratzwear's shop makes me wish

that my own doggie would wear a costume. But alas, Booger doesn't like to wear anything but his fur. :) But if I could get him to dress up, I'd totally buy him this ladybug costume. Maybe next year I'll get one for my brother-in-law's dog, Holly. I bet he'd *love* that idea. :) Ladybug, Ladybug, fly away home, $30.00)

No Halloween could be complete without a survival kit. The Canton Box Company carries just such a necessity. Vampire problem? Have no fear! (Just make sure you have your kit with you.) (Halloween Survival Kit, $33.00)

Etsy Veg Team Rocks!

This week I've been making my To Do list for this Saturday's festival (and checking it twice, don'tcha know). Meanwhile, I received a nice message from Kylie, fellow Etsy Veg teammate, letting me know that my Cuticle Balm was included in a treasury on the Etsy Veg blog. Definitely check it out, Etsy Veg-ers make some fabulous products!

New Soaps!

It's that time of year, when the weather gets cooler (sometimes...this chilly weather really is unusual for us) and you just want to curl up under a blanket with something hot to drink. While I always say that my favorite season is Spring, I'm absolutely in love with Fall scents. Recently I listed Autumn Afternoon, which to me smells just like I imagine an Autumn day should smell -- crisp and clean.

Today I'd also like to introduce you to my two latest Fall soaps -- Pumpkin Spice and Apple

Cinnamon.

Pumpkin Spice smells just like it sounds. If you're like me, and your favorite dessert at Thanksgiving is anything with pumpkin in it, you'll love this soap. My Pumpkin Spice soap is colored with a small bit of copper mica to help give it a little of that orange color all of us pumpkin pie fans know and love. (Pumpkin Spice Soap, $5.00)

As much as I love my Pumpkin Spice soap, I have to (secretly)

admit that Apple Cinnamon is my new Fall favorite. To me, cinnamon and apples are a yummy combination of scents. Not only can you smell the cinnamon, but I also used some ground cinnamon to make the brown swirl in the soap. These soaps look like marbled apple cinnamon cake. Yum! (Apple Cinnamon Soap, $5.00)

You can find both of my new soaps in my Etsy and Artfire shops.

Friday Feature

Today's Friday Feature is Elemental Dragons!

At Elemental Dragons you can find precious polymer clay dragons from one of seven different clans, each with their very own story. One of my favorites from her shop is Hankie of the Water Clan. I just love his little ears! Hankie also has lovely wings and glow in the dark eyes. You know you want to give this little guy a home. (Hankie of the Water Clan Elemental Dragon, $15.00)

New at Bohemian Rose!

Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since my last blog post! Although I really shouldn't be... Two of my busiest weeks during the year are the week that school starts and the week before. So if you haven't guessed, I've been doing the back to school thing. Which means I've been really tired in the evenings, even taking a nap yesterday! And I don't nap that often.

Even though I've had my hands full, I've still had soap on the curing rack. So I'm happy to introduce you to Minty Lavender, one of my favorite scents.

Refreshing peppermint and spearmint blended with soothing lavender. This scent brightens my day every time I smell it. It goes well with my Minty Lavender lip balm and sugar scrub too... (Minty Lavender Soap, $5.00)

New Lip Balms!

Today I had the chance to take photos of the two newest editions to my lip balm line -- Vanilla Mint and Irish Cream. (And of course you'll find them in both my Art Fire and Etsy shops.) Both of these wonderful new flavors are also part of the Pick Two lip and cuticle balms. You can find that offer here.

The brightness of peppermint softened with sweet vanilla. Such a lightly refreshing combination of flavor! (Vanilla Mint Lip Balm at Art Fire and Etsy, $3.00)

What could be better at the end of the day than a glass of Irish cream over ice? Smooth, sweet and chocolatey all at once. Cheers! (Irish Cream Lip Balm at Art Fire and Etsy, $3.00)

What's Going on at Bohemian Rose?

Well thanks for asking! The answer is... a lot! I have a batch of NEW lip balm waiting to be labeled, along with restock of Minty Lavender lip balm. And this afternoon I'm making another NEW lip balm flavor. I just have to decide which flavor I'd like to make next. That's the hardest part. :) Look for two new lip balm flavors to be up in my Artfire and Etsy shops soon!

Speaking of new, I also have some new soap on the curing rack. How about Minty Lavender soap? Smells just like the lip balm, but you can use it in the shower! Amazing! This one should be up in my Artfire and Etsy shops in a couple of weeks. Also coming up soon soapwise - Fall scents!

Yesterday I spent four hours at the car dealer waiting for them to do my 40,000 mile check up on my car. I knew it would take a while, but I was thinking two, three at the most. By 1:30 I asked how much longer they thought it would be. He told me that ETA was 2:30... So I called my amazing friend Alana, who had just finished up with teaching the flute sectionals at band camp. She lives about 8 minutes from the dealer, so she came to pick me up and we went to lunch. By the time the dealer called, it was after 3:00. That's a crazy long time! Good thing I brought things that I needed to work on, otherwise I think I would've had cabin fever about an hour into it. Even though it took a while, Rusty Wallis always does a great job with their service. All the service guys are great, they do a wonderful job, and they're (usually) pretty fast. Plus, my car is all shiny and clean now. Bonus!

So since I missed it yesterday, here's Music Monday for your listening pleasure -- some dueling banjos arranged for mountain dulcimer.

Friday Feature

Today's Friday Feature is.... Elfling Creations! Meri's shop features lovely fantasy-inspired art, jewelry, bags, and more!

The first item I just had to show you guys is her Dryad's Dwelling necklace or anklet. Now, I'm very much a water person, but I just love this earth-inspired hemp necklace. The pewter tree, the leaf charms both large and small, and all of the green beads remind me of a green meadow surrounded by giant oak trees. Honestly, it's going to be hard for me to pass this one up. (Dryad's Dwelling beaded hemp necklace or anklet, $19.00)

Meri at Elfling's Creations also crochets plushie dolls. Currently there are several in her shop, but Scinlaece is one of my favorites. She's a dress-up witch plushie, and I just love her little pointed hat. By the way, if you were wondering what kind of name is Scinlaece, it's Old English for "sorceress." Appropriate for a little witch plushie, don't you think? (Scinlaece Dress Up Fairy Witch Doll Plushie, $28.00)

Meri can also make a custom plushie for you. Click on the link to read all of the details for ordering a custom plushie doll. My favorite example in her shop is the Death plushie. I love how you can see all of his bones! (Made to Order, Fully Customizable 12-inch Crocheted Plushie Doll, starting at $60.00)

Giveaway Winner and Some Hump Day Humor Too!

For my first giveaway, I wanted to find a winner the old fashioned way -- by drawing a name out of a hat. Or in my case, a bowl that I put lip balms in at shows.

Here are all the names just after I finished writing them all down.

Now they're all mixed up in the bowl, ready to be picked!

And here's our winner, Yours Truli! Congratulations!!

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway. I was so excited to have so many entries for my very first one. Thanks!!!

Some of you had great suggestions, and I wanted to take just a minute to address a few of them.

Mint Chocolate - I'm actually in the process of formulating a soap that has cocoa butter in it for this one.

Rose Scented Soap - I have a new line of soaps that I'm formulating, and a few of them have rose in them. Rose Geranium essential oil actually, but to my nose it smells just like rose. Currently I have no plans for a rose-only soap, but you bring up a good point--rose is in my shop name, so maybe I should!

Fall Scents - I'll be testing a couple of new fall scents this month, and then working like mad to get my regular fall scents made. Expect to see them in my Art Fire and Etsy shops in late August to early September. Last year for fall I had Mulled Cider and Pumpkin Spice, which I also carried over into winter.

And now for just a bit of humor. It is Wednesday, after all. This photo is dedicated to my doggie, Booger. People sometimes ask if he's vegetarian because I am. No, dogs were meant to be carnivores, thank you.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Bohemian Rose Giveaway!

To celebrate my birthday (which is today - yay!), I thought I'd try my hand at a blog giveaway. Since this is my first blog giveaway, I thought I'd include a couple of my favorite items to use. By the way, that didn't narrow down my choices at all, since I definitely use all of my own products!

First, you can soap up in the shower with your very own Bohemian

Rose soap in your choice of scent. All of my soaps are made in the cold process method, which basically means that I melt all of the oils, and in a separate container mix my water and sodium hydroxide. I let both containers cool to room temperature, then stick blend them together, add any scent or color, and pour into the mold. Once it's all in the mold, the chemical reactions heat the whole thing up to turn it into soap. Science is cool! :)

After you're all squeaky clean, you can exfoliate with your Bohemian Rose sugar scrub, also in your choice of scent. I make all of my sugar scrubs with a blend of sugar and raw sugar, along with oils and butters to help your sking feel soft and smooth. If you've never used a scrub before, don't worry! Just scoop out some of the scrub, massage it onto your damp skin, and the sugar blend will gently exfoliate. Rinse, pat dry, and you're good to go! I love to use my sugar scrub on my feet especially, but it's great as an all-over scrub too.

Now, on to the important part - how to enter the giveaway!

(Thanks to Roses. I used her blog giveaways as a guideline on mine!)

1. Stop by my Art Fire shop, come back and leave a comment on my blog with your favorite item there, and how I can get a hold of you if you win. That's all you have to do to enter! So easy!

2. For another entry, tweet about my giveaway, and post the link for it.

3. For another extra entry, blog about my giveway, and post the link.

4. Want yet another entry in the giveaway? Comment with a suggestion for products or scents you'd like to see from Bohemian Rose in the future.

5. Not enough ways to enter? Make a purchase from my ArtFire studio or my Etsy shop.

Easy peasy! Giveaway ends on Bastille Day (July 14, which was also my grandpa's birthday. Lots of July birthdays in my family!). :)

Coming Tomorrow - A Bohemian Rose Giveaway!

That's right, folks. In honor of my birthday tomorrow I'm starting a giveaway. Check back tomorrow for full details. But if you'd like to go ahead and take a peek at my Art Fire or Etsy shop, go right ahead. I won't stop you! :)

Sale!

Now that i'm back home, I'm having a weekend sale to celebrate! In both my Art Fire and Etsy shops you can enjoy free shipping with your purchase. So enjoy your Father's Day weekend, and I'll refund your shipping via PayPal. Happy shopping!

Art Fire Treasure Hunt

The Art Fire Treasure Hunt starts today! (I blogged about it earlier this month if you're wondering what in the heck I'm talking about.)

The Treasure Hunt will go from 10:00 a.m. EST to midnight EST. Shop from any of the participating Art Fire artisans, find the item with the treasure chest photo. Purchase that item and get the sale! Each artisan has chosen their own sale for their treasure item.

Find the treasure chest in my Art Fire studio, and get your shipping refunded!

See the full list of participating vendors here.

Happy shopping!

Friday Feature

Today's Friday Feature is Art Fire artisan Lady Mudwerkes! She makes lovely clay items including plaques and mirror frames. All of her work is inspired by nature, myth, or fantasy.

One of the first items in her studio that caught my eye was her Moon Lady Mirror Frame. The Moon Lady's face emerges from a slivery crescent moon, with her hair billowing around where the mirror will go. Beautifully serene. (Moon Lady Mirror Frame, $165.00)

While Lady Mudwerkes has a couple Tree of Life tiles in her studio, this one is my favorite. Peeking through the gnarled branches you can see the moon in each of her phases. This tile can be displayed as a wall hanging or on an easel. (Tree of Life Tile, $30.00)

Don't forget, our very first Art Fire Treasure Hunt is underway tomorrow! Check back tomorrow for more info!

Poseidon Salt Bars

That's right, ladies and gents, my Poseidon salt bars are off the curing rack and back in stock. The scent is clean and refreshing, just like the salty sea air. And my salt bars are made with coconut milk to make the lather extra creamy. Soap up with one of these in the shower, and it feels like you're sudsing up with a "lotion-y" lather. Available now in my Art Fire and Etsy shops. (Poseidon salt bar, $5.00)

Art Fire Treasure Hunt Sneak Peek

Coming soon...the very first Art Fire Treasure Hunt! (Click here for full details.) Basically, each Art Fire studio that is participating in the treasure hunt will have a sale. You, the shopper, visit those participating studios and try to find the hidden treasure picture in their item listings. If you find it and purchase that item, you get the sale! How fun does that sound!

New Blog Layout

I had been wanting to change my blog from a two-column to a three-column layout. After spending quite a bit of time reading how to do it, I finally stumbled across some simple directions to change my template. So now I can separate my Etsy and Art Fire information. Not only does it make it easier for you to find, but it also makes it feel less cluttered to me. Double bonus!

Hump Day Humor

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming for an important announcement. Go check out the EtsyVeg Team blog. My Violet lip balm is currently featured in the blog team treasury!

And now back to your Hump Day Humor. Thank you.