Happy New Year

2010 was such a great year for Twilight Soaps & Gifts and me! I met  a ton of new people (business contacts and new friends), participated in Trunk/Fashion Shows, and am have began building a bigger base of stores that carry my soaps and gifts! I couldn't do it without all of the support from my customers, friends, and family!
I hope you all have a very wonderful New Year!

I also have a giveaway for you to help ring in 2011! Simply go to the link below for the Minnesota Etsy Street Team Blog's giveaway for a chance to win one of my sugar scrub and lotion gift sets! Just my way of saying "Thanks for all the support".

http://etsymn.blogspot.com/2010/12/handmademn-giveaway-twilight-soaps.html

New retail locations for Twilight Soaps & Gifts

When you are out and about this Holiday Shopping season, don't forget to visit these great store that carry a wide range of Twilight Soaps & Gifts items!

Ultima Bellezza Salon - Great Salon and retail boutique on 3rd St in Stillwater. Fabulous prices, friendly service!
www.ultimabellezzasalon.com
www.ultimabellezza.blogspot.com


planMYhouse Studio- a great new eco friendly studio that just opened up. Joanna and Michael can create a vast array of plans for your home, office, garage, and so much more. While your there, shop around for some great eco friendly wears! Located on Maint Street in downtown Stillwater, in the Brick Alley

www.planMYhouse.com
www.planmyhousemn.blogspot.com


The Farmers Daughter in White Bear Lake, MN
This is the newest store to carry Twilight Soaps & Gifts! They have a wide variety of hand made items perfect for those Holiday stocking stuffers! 
http://thefarmersdaughterwbl.com/The_Farmers_Daughter/Welcome.html


Parc Boutique
This lovely boutique in NE Minneapolis carrys Twilight Soaps & Gifts jewelry collection.
The store is full on wonderful clothing and accessories for men and women!

http://www.parcboutique.com/

MN Wing CAF Vintage Fashion Show Debut

Twilight Soaps & Gifts was a proud vendor at the Minnesota Wing's 2nd Vintage Fashion Show & Wine Tasting.

Bob & Matt help me man my vendor space

The evening was a huge success featuring clothing from Twilight Soaps & Gifts Vintage Collection (soon to be on Esty); the CAFs PX with new Bags, hats, and women's polo's; and custom creations from The Girl Can't Help It Deluxe Clothing line. Accessories were featured from one of my favorites- Atta Girl by Kedrin; my dad's new line jewelry (yep, that right..it runs in the family)- Pacific Shores Stone Works; the Spectacle Shoppe, Scentsy and more.

Jewelry by Pacific Shores Stone Works & Twilight Soaps

We also had Warehouse Winery and Import Iberia for the sampling portion of the show! For a full viewing of the Fashion show, please check out http://www.matthollandphotography.com/Events/CAF-Vintage-Fashion-Show/13791714_oU4aa#1009909346_dwEz8Matt Holland Photography

Kristal and Jason Velick walk to the runway!

If you missed it this year, stay tuned for next years show which is already in the making!

Photo's are courtesy of Matt Holland Photography!

Weddings on a Budget Part Two: Wedding Favors, Tables Settings and more!

Now at the risk of writing a whole piece on promoting my business for your wedding favors (shameless plug in five, four, three two…Solid Perfumes, candles, Lip Balms, and custom soaps), there are tons of ideas out there to choose from!

In the vast age of the internet, you are not limited to the wedding cake shaped bubbles or those awful chalk flavored hard candies. Be bold with your wedding favors and think outside the wedding box. If you have the time, be creative. If you like an idea that doesn’t fit into your budget, do some research and come up with your own.

Here are some great DIY sites to help get your creative juices flowing!

http://www.do-it-yourself-weddings.com/homemade-wedding-favors.html

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/basformakdif.html

http://www.craftster.org/blog/?p=2106

If you don’t have the time to make your own or you don’t want to, then check out the list below for some of my favorite sites for Favors, Bridal Party Gifts, Table Settings, and more.

All of these can be done on a budget and still be unique. They should reflect your individual style and the Bridal party gifts (in my opinion) don’t have to be cookie cutter, carbon copies for each person! Give them each something with a little flare and that reflects them as a person!

I am huge fan of supporting small businesses and I love all of the one of kind creations on Esty, so the next few sites are from there:

Wedding Favors

Wedding Favor Boxes- fill with your favorite candies, nuts, or a secret surprise! My favorite is the wedding cake favor boxes! So cute!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Rachelaakmama?ref=top_trail

Custom Wedding Favor Soaps- great for Favors, to hand out to guests staying with you and so much more!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/48433418/set-of-10-french-vanilla-and-amber

Tired of Keeping up with the Jones ? You will have them beat with this fresh idea of Upcycled Match Boxes. http://www.etsy.com/shop/ivylanedesigns?section_id=6064107

Crafty enough to try your own- you can even customize them theses simple products (check out those DIY sites above for details):

Match Boxes

Glue

Scrap Book paper

Sharpie of your choice or sparkly marker

No one can resist cookies as favors. Try these rose creations and attach your own label with the date!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/32850778/pink-rose-cookies-with-chocolate-12

Table Decorations & More

The perfect table decorations from Paper Platypus- simple and elegant:

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

Vintage Wedding Table Numbers can dress up a plane table in a snap.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/50793989/vintage-wedding-table-numbers-cottage

The Wooden Owl has great wedding cake toppers, table center pieces and so much more

that are sure to make your wedding special!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheWoodenOwl?section_id=6305770

I am in love with these Mr. & Mrs. Fork set! Super cute for any wedding or perhaps for the grooms dinner. They can also be used as place settings!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/50832113/vintage-silverware-mr-and-mrs-wedding

Bridal Party Gifts

Bridal Gifts, no sweat! Check out these Custom Flasks for all your girls!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/47241617/pretty-in-pink-flask

Another great place to try for some beautiful Bridal Jewelry for you and your Bridesmaids is Wedding Jewels- http://www.etsy.com/shop/WeddingJewels

White Wash Sundries has a great Groomsmen mug for $10! You can’t beat that! http://www.etsy.com/listing/39983126/groomsmen-gift-beer-mug

You can’t go wrong with something like custom cuff links for your groomsmen! Check out this shop for some really unique ones!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheCufflinkMaker?ref=top_trail

Of course, there are tons of places to choose from in your local community as well as all over the internet, so don’t be afraid to hunt around and find something that you love and that fits into your budget! Always keep what you want in mind, but be flexible and open to new ideas!

Happy Shopping!
Amy

Weddings on a Budget, Part One: the Rings!

Brides, you don’t have to spend a fortune to have a fabulous wedding…you can make it one of a kind event without having to take out a second mortgage on your house!

Here are a few simple steps (and some great websites) to help keep your budget in check.

Traditionally, people go to big name jewelry stores to find the wedding ring of your choice, but times are changing.

Since I am such a huge fan of saving money and hand made wares from Etsy, which is one of the first places I shop. Did you know you can even get engagement rings, wedding bands, and so much more on Etsy? It’s sort of a well kept secret, but I’m letting the cat out of the bag!

What better way to express your individual style then with a one of a kind wedding ring from a local artist…and most of them won’t break the bank. Some are upcylced, some are hand made, but you are sure to find one to fit your style and budget.

Here are a couple of my favorite sites to start your search with:

Elizabeth Scott Designs are simple and elegant. http://www.etsy.com/shop/esdesigns

She does beautiful work and will resize the ring for you if needed for the cost of shipping. She also has other items available which could work as Bridal party gifts!

My husband and I picked out my Anniversary band from Elizabeth and I love it! It’s simple and well made and she will resize if need be all in a short amount of time.

One of her more unique ones is the Twin Ring set which is two rings in one! http://www.etsy.com/listing/41610312/twig-ring-set-in-14k-palladium-white

Elizabeth Scott Designs also has an assortment of great necklaces and earrings which would work great for Bridal party gifts like this Aspen Leaf Necklace ranging at about $50.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/47995132/aspen-leaf-necklace-sterling-silver

Kalicat has a wide range of selections to choose from. Some are under $100 and some of the sets can be quiet expensive, but you know they are all unique. http://www.etsy.com/shop/kalicat

One of my favorites from this site is Knight & Day 18K White Gold Band. http://www.etsy.com/listing/39619838/day-and-night-18k-white-gold-band-and

If you are looking for something simple and more affordable, Kalicat can also handle that! Check out

these simple Sterling Silver bands:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/30223328/be-mine-2-wedding-rings-sterling-silver

One more site that I absolutely love is Bend the Fish.

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

Bend the fish has simple designs, great prices and FREE SHIPPING. What more can you ask for!

One of my favorites from their shop is the Inverted Pink Pear Ring http://www.etsy.com/listing/36442796/inverted-pink-pearl-

ring?ref=v1_other_2

Bend the Fish also has more traditional rings around $200 like this Solitaire Engagement Ring: http://www.etsy.com/listing/45348904/solitaire-engagement-ring

Of course, there are many other shops on Etsy and in your local neighborhood, so don’t be afraid to do a little digging and find something special to fit your budget! Shop around, take your time, and find something that is really you, oh and cost effective! That's my motto!

Stay tuned for the next installment of Weddings on a Budget: Part two Wedding Favors!!

Have a great day!

Amy

Too Long

Wow, has it really been April 12th since my last post??? Way too long! I had some fabulous things in the works for my next posts, including a 3 part series on affordable weddings in the Twin Cities..so stay tuned for that, hopefully I will finish part one tomorrow.

As for the rest of the things, soap and all...I have a new scent coming out for the Summer- Cucumber Mint! Should be nice and inviting for the hot Minnesota Summer ahead!

Now onto more important things....

I wanted to find a way to help out with the Gulf Oil Spill, so for every purchase on my etsy site I will donate 20% to the efforts at one of the two websites-

http://www.gnof.org/gulf-coast-oil-spill-fund/disaster-on-the-gulf-coast//

http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Conservation/Threats-to-Wildlife/Oil-Spill/Oil-Spill-Restoration-Fund.aspx

It's just one way, Twilight Soaps & Gifts can help give back to the environment one purchase at a time!

Thanks for reading!
Cheers!

www.twilightsoaps.etsy.com

Twilight Soaps & Gifts News

Good Morning,
It's been a few weeks since I have posted anything to my blog..but I am back and there has been a lot going on! First of, Twilight Soaps & Gifts has gone International! I have made my first sale in Canada!! Thanks Mary for your purchase!

Vote for me- from now until April 18th, you can vote for my "Hoops" bracelet made from aircraft washers on http://etsymn.blogspot.com/. Click on the Icon on the right hand side and vote for me (or your favorite one...but I won't tell if it's mine:)

I have several new things posted to my Etsy site and many of them are fund raising items for the Minnesota Wing Commemorative Air Force. Twenty percent of those items (which are noted in the description) goes towards the Non-profit Aviation Museum.

Lastly, I want to help promote a fellow Etsy creator extraordinaire- Orglamix

I have been searching for a new mineral foundation, one that won't break the bank and doesn't leave my face feeling cakey or chalky. Since I don't have time to start making my own, yet...I decided to try a couple of samples from various shops on Etsy. I came across Orglamix which not only has mineral foundation, but so much more...and it's amazing. It is hands down, the best foundation I have ever used and the pigment eye shadow is amazing!

So for all of you out there looking to try a new, NATURAL make up...Give orglamix a try! You won't be disappointed!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/orglamix