Sheree's Alchemy

Hi Friends,

I don't usually send out these promo things, however, this one was too good not to share! Click here to get the deal!

 

 

 

Here is what you get for free for signing up. You can cancel your membership anytime.  But if you love nail polish, my guess is you will be like us and become long time members.  You can also skip months if you preview the items and are not interested in what's offered.  or you can edit your box and select different nail polish or makeup items.  

I'm actuallyjealous!  I want this deal myself!!  And that is the reason that I am sharing this deal with you all.  Leah and I have each been Julep Mavens for almost 3 years now.  And we LOVe getting a new box of goodies from them each month.  They have a quiz for you to take to determine your Style.  I am a Bombshell and Leah is an It Girl!

Leah and I had the chance to hang out with Jane and one of her staffers, Sammy.  These ladies are the best!  I always love supporting small business and especially Female Owned Businesses.  The vision of Julep speaks to me and I really love all of their products. They are not just nail polish, but have a line of makeup products as well.  They have great sales throughout the year as well. I especially love their mystery box sales.

 

 

I will be back soon to share with you all some details of our overall experience at BeautyconLA!  It was our first girls trip and our first time to LA.  We had a blast! :)

 

Until next time,

 

Sheree

Shop Update: Handmade Holidays

Hello,

If you are in search of some handmade goodies to gift this holiday season, please stop by my shop!  I've started added new winter accessories and other items that are great for yourself or for gift giving.  Here is a sample of some new scarves that I've recently added to the shop.

Checkered Infinity Scarf

Rustic Plaid Infinity Scarf

 

Plaid Sherpa Infinity Scarf

 

Please stop on over and take a peek my Etsy Shop so you can get a head start on your holiday shopping!

Sheree

Because I am impatient...

Well, I knew my patience would be tested, having to wait 6 weeks to use my newly made soap.  I failed the test.  I did not use the soap.  But I did want to use some homemade soap, so I whipped open a block of shea butter melt and pour soap base and made some soap with that.  The soap make with this technique can be used once hardened over night.  You can wait longer, but you don't have to.  So right after my last post, I went off and made some soap.  

 

Above are "spa bars" that contains coffee, activated charcoal, pink sea salt and French red clay.  

It was very different working with this melt and pour base.  I was very nervous, as things seemed to be going really badly at some point.  The base was re-solidifying very quickly.  And it all had a totally different look and texture than the cold press soap I'd made the day before.  But I proceeded and in the end, things turned out well!  

These soaps are made with a mixture of the shea butter melt and pour with varying amounts of activated  charcoal and coffee scented with lavender.

Both of my kids love the scent of lavender.  So these lavender essential oil scented soaps were quickly snapped up by them.  The spa bars are all mine.  The gritty texture of the coffee gives the perfect level of exfoliation and a real wake me up smell.  The clay and sea salt leaves my skin silky soft and smooth.  I will be trying this recipe out with the cold press method for sure!

I hope you all are having a great day!  I'll be back soon to share some pictures of our Spring Break vacation.  

Until then,

Sheree

A happy chemist...my first homemade soaps!

Well, after yesterday's primary soap making experience, I can report that I deserve to keep my lab goggles and coat!  The soap turned out great, and the process was really fun.  I followed a recipe from this book and tweaked the fragrance because I always like to put my own stamp on things.  I don't know why I waited so long to give this a try.  Check out how beautiful it looks!

 

 

I wish you could do scratch and sniff, because the smell is just incredible.  I custom blended my own essential oils to make this scent and it is just divine.  

The only bad thing about this whole process is that I now have to wait 6 weeks to use the soap!  I knew this when I started and totally didn't think it would bother me.  But I am extremely bothered!  I want to use it now.  And smelling it for 6 weeks and not being able to use it is going to drive me insane.  I wish I could just put it away for six weeks and not think about it.  But I have to turn the soap bars every few days to help the drying process.  Oh well.  This will teach me to be a bit more patient, I guess.

As an aside, I have to share with you all that when I was a little girl, I first became interested in science and chemistry because I loved perfume and wanted to make some.  I think I was in 4th grade or so and my mom listened and bought me a home perfume making kit.  It blew my mind that I could mix and play and come up with lovely scents.  I did become a chemist, but worked with inorganic, air sensitive compounds that you did not want to smell!  Making this soap has totally taken me back to being that giddy little girl.  

I am officially obsessed and wanted more of that happy feeling.  So I spent some time last evening, after the kids were in bed, making some whipped body and hair butter with the same scent.  I love that this is totally all natural, amazing for the skin and hair, smells incredible and I made it!

 

My Lucas used some this morning and he loved the texture and scent.  He has requested his own container.  He has allergies here in Michigan and it shows in his skin.  So I have researched good oils to use for dry and itchy skin and will be whipping him up a batch later today.  Or I may wait until the weekend so he can make it with me.  What I really want to do today is sneak in another batch of soap.  We'll see!

I hope you all have a love-filled day!

Sheree

The chemist in me...

Hello!

I am so excited today.  Well, I am usually excited everyday.  But today, I have decided to let the chemist in me come out and play in a whole new way.  I needed a break from sitting at the computer and the sewing machine.  I spent some time last week ordering all my supplies and equipment.  And they all arrived safely.  So last night, I set up my oil infusion so it would be ready to go this morning.  And now I am ready to begin.

I am dawning my lab coat, goggles and gloves while I embark on my first attempt at making soap from scratch.

Wish me luck!

I'll be back to show you how it turns out.  

Happy a fun-filled day!

Sheree

Side effects of a long cold winter.

Boy, has it been a cold winter here in Michigan!  I have been spending way too much time indoors, due to the frigid temps.  I finally decided to get caught up on cleaning up the computer, deleting emails, organizing pictures, etc..  It was nice to spend some time with my photos.  You know, with the digital cameras and iPhones, you can take so many pictures and then they just get stored on the devices, never to be printed.  I realized I need to work on a project that I keep starting but never finishing.  And that is printing out family travel photos and set up gallery walls throughout the house.  

The four of us just love to travel.  This past summer, we did a lot of traveling, including two separate trips to Europe.  The first trip was in June to visit the inlaws in Germany and celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.  It was a blast.  After the party, we spent a few days in Salzburg, Austria.  The picture above was taken there.  We spent a morning at the Fortress Hohensalzburg.  I'd been in Salzburg a few times before (of course hubby has been there tons, since it is less then an hour from where he grew up), Leah had been there when she was 2 and Lucas was in my tummy then.  It was our first visit to this Fortress, though.  What a beautiful place and a perfect place for the photo above, which became our Christmas card photo this past year.  I've just sent the file to the print along with many others so that I can get back to work on the gallery walls.  

Below is another picture that will be added.  

It is from our second trip to Europe during summer 2014. We spent a couple weeks in Southern France.  The kids and I had been in France several times before when we lived in Germany, but always to the Northern part of France.  Hubby has been wanting to take us to southern France for years.  He spent great summer vacations there with his family and wanted to create so me memories there with us.  Boy, did we have a blast.  The place above is an old villa that we stayed it.  It is where my hubby and his family spend several vacations when he was a boy and my inlaws wanted to share this place with their grandkids, so we a bit of a family reunion/vacation there with them and my brother in law and family.  We visited so many places, from old churches and colosseums to canoeing down the river at the Pont du Garde.  We saw a bull fight (the bull was not killed!), and ate at so many incredible restaurants.  We spent a day on the beach at the Mediterranean, soaking up the gorgeous sun.  The list goes on and on.  I'd have to spend an hour or more uploading photos and sharing it all.  

I don't have time for that right now, but I will leave you with this image at the harbor in Marseille, France, where we spent the last few days of our trip.  And maybe I will share a few more images throughout the next week, as I continue to organize and print them out.

I have turned this in to my screen saver now so that I can pretend that it is warm and sunny and I am back in the South of France!

Okay, the printer seems to be having an issue.  I'd better go!  I hope you all are warm and happy!

Sheree

 

Congratulations! You are a winner!

Hello,

Well, you know I must have enjoyed my Christmas and my New Year, as I was quiet around here.  Boy, did we have a fun and relaxing time.  I've been back at the shop, full steam ahead, working on orders, my new Spring and Summer collections, getting a new teaching schedule together and adding new inventory.  The kids had Monday off for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, so we enjoyed time together, watching the Inaguration.  Lucas made it in to the schools spelling bee, so we spent some time practicing new spelling words as well.  They have a day off again on this coming Friday, so I am lookign forward to another day with the munchins.  In the meantime, I figured it was about time to make this post live announcing winners from my last giveaway.  I am sorry to be so lame....life always gets in the way around here! :)

So, I used the random number generator at random.org to pick the 12 winners for my giveaway.  I have 6 winners for the $25 gift certificates and 6 winners for the $10 gift certificates.

Here are the results: (yes, I've known the winners sine 12/18/12, lame, I know!)

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

16	2	14	11	1
13	11	20	6	18
21	12	

Timestamp: 2012-12-18 20:06:10 UTC

$25 gift certificates winners are comments number 16, 2, 14, 11, 1 and 13 (the first 6 numbers) and the $10 gift certificate winners are comments number 11, 20, 6, 18, 21 and 12.

So, Sarah, Debbie K., Laurie, Gill, Sisley and Kara M. are winners of the $25 gift certificates and Gill (lucky you!), Elena, Linda T, Dan, Kathy and Sara are winners of the $10 gift certificates.  I have sent you all emails.  I have already heard back from a few of you.  So check your comment number and your email to see if you are a winner and then reply back to me with answers to the questions in the email so I can get you the gift certificate, okay.

I hope you all are well!  It is freezing cold outside here in Michigan.  So for those of you experiencing this winter blast, stay warm!

I have to get back to work.  Lots of packages to get into the mail today.  I have 4 ready to go, and 4 more to wrap up and then head to the post office before getting the kiddos.  Thankfully, the Christmas rush at the post office is over, so I won't get another gray hair waiting in line (cross my fingers, anyway!).

I wish you all a cozy, creative and happy day!

Hugs,

Sheree

 

Happy 12-12-12 Day! Let's celebrate with a giveaway.

Hello Friends!

I hope you all have been well.  Hopefully, you all have been finding time to be creative...maybe making Christmas gifts?  I've been keeping busy...staying out of trouble anyway. :)  It is my busiest season, so I've been sewing a lot and carving out time to work on Christmas gifts for my family as well.

We enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving.  I hope all of you in the US did as well.  The Fall was quite lovely here in Michigan, and now we are enjoying winter.  Yes, we've already gotten snow 3 times.  In fact, there is snow on the ground right now, leftovers from a small blast we had on Sunday.  A couple weeks ago it snowed and it happened to be the day I had planned to take pictures of the kids for this years Christmas cards.

  my sweeties

all of us

I also celebrated my 41st birthday earlier.  I know...it seems like it was just last year and I was celebrating 40.  It has been a good year though.  They say time flies when you are having fun...and, indeed I am having fun!

Since it is 12-12-12 day and I celebrated my birthday on the 10th, I decided it would be a good day to pop by and host a little giveaway!  I have not done that in a while, so I thought it would be a fun way to celebrate! 

So I have gifts for 12 of you!  I will give away 12 gift certificates to you all.  You can use them at the following places.

Sheree's Alchemy Webstore

Sheree's Alchemy on Etsy

Sheree's Atelier on Etsy

and if you are local, you can come down to the shop and use it here as well!

6 of you will get $20 gift certificates

6 of you will get $15 gift certificates

Winners will be chosen at random.  Leave a comment on this blog post telling me what you would use the gift certificate on, what you've made lately, what you plans are for Christmas and other holidays, or just say hello! :) 

You can get additional entries by tweeting this or sharing on facebook.  Just leave a separate comment with the link, as I'll be only counting entries based on the comments.  That way I won't miss anything.

I will leave this open until Monday to give everyone a chance to stop by and enter.

I will leave you all with some of my favorite things I currently have listed on Sheree's Atelier on Etsy:

 

linen leopard tote bag

Big Love Pillow

deer antler pillow

infinity scarf

 There is lots more there to look at...all make great gifts as well! :)

Okay, I am looking forward to reading your comments.

Hugs,

Sheree

 

 



{shop update} New items in my Etsy Shop

Happy Friday Friends,

Those of you that get my newsletter know that I have been busy behind the scenes preparing for my first Holiday Season on Etsy as well as my Holiday Open House here in my brick and mortar shop.  I have been super productive, using every possible moment when customers are not in the shop to take pictures and get things listed on Etsy.  I am also working on a new Holiday Collection, and still working my way through all my custom orders.  You would think I would be going crazy, but nope.  I just L.O.V.E seing so much!

I will share with you very soon some of my recent custom orders.  I do put them up on Facebook sometimes, but I'll do a little blog post "custom sewing and tell" post soon. :)  In the mean time, hop on over to my Etsy shop and have a look at all the new items I have added to the shop in the last couple weeks.  Here are a few of my faves:

Tan Cable Knit Cowl on Etsy

 

Textured Plum Floral Wool Blend Cowl on Etsy

 

Organic Cotton Emma Flutter Wing Dres on Etsy

Euro Cotton Velveteen A Line Dress on Etsy

 

Here is a peak at some of the other items I have photographed and hope to into the shop over the weekend or early next week!  Wish me luck! :)

handknit scarves

Initial Pillows

 New baby blankets and burp cloth sets

Okay, that's it for today.  I hope you all have a fabulous Friday.  I'll be back soon to share some pictures of the kiddos along with there recent piano recital video. 

 

Talk soon!

Sheree

{shop update} Sneak Peek at some new Fall items

Happy Friday Folks!

I hope you all have enjoyed a lovely week.  We were blessed with some gorgeous weather this week.  Perfect Fall days with cool, crisp mornings and warmer, sunny daytime temps have graced us all week in Midland.  Well, there was one morning with rain, but it as still a lovely day and the rain did not last too long.  I hope you all are enjoying a wonderful Fall (and to those of you down under, I wish you all a happy Spring!).

I wanted to pop by today to just share some sneak peeks of things I have finished up and started photographing for a huge shop update coming in the next couple weeks.  I am working feverishly to have loads of ready made items prepared for the upcoming Holiday shopping season.  In between working on custom orders, I take breaks and sneak in mini photo sessions of things I have made but needed to tag and photograph.  These will all be available in the shop, and I'll be putting them up online as well, as they will all be offered as cuustom listings.

So, here is a little peak of some of the goods.

mod tiered jumper with velveteen bodice and sequined applique front

pile of aline skirts for girls

this is one of my favorites...this european cotton velveteen is just lovely...sassy and sweet!

this oilily reprint corduroy skirt is up on the fave list as well

laminated cotton reversible tote bags for girls and women....practical and pretty!

more Emma Dresses in all sizes...with and without sleeves

laminated cotton aprons for girls and ladies

tiered twirly skirts

ruffle pants in denim, cords and cotton prints

and even some luxe velvet pants

Well, that is enough for today's sneak peek!  I'll be back soon with more and will announce the date of the shop update as well.

 

Hugs,

Sheree