Twitter Feature Wednesday: #Knit

It turned off super cold in the Appalachian mountains this week, so I figured I would get warmed up looking at all of these wonderful #knit items from Twitter!

The first person I found was @Ethnicdesign featuring her adorable scarf pattern!

The second amazing handmade knit product that I stumbed across was from @shop_elisemade. Her cute little pompom was shared from her instagram and her website is filled with adorable knit things!!

And last, my inner nerd squealed when I came across @Traceyknits and this absolutely killer Yoda golf club cover! Need this, my father does!

Now that I am feeling all warmed up from these great #knit products, I will be looking next week for amazing items featuring the hashtag #artfire! So, make sure to tweet me your listings using #artfire and come back next week to see if you are featured!

Mountain View Fall Craft Show

I spent last Saturday at Mountain View Bulk Foods at their fall festival. I've attended this show twice before, and even though it was chilly and windy, I had the best time!! 

The morning was very chilly and a heavy frost was thick on the plants, but it didn't matter for me or the other 100 vendors in attendance. The sun soon came out, the frost melted away, and I was ready to share my soapy creations! 

I had the best time and made some great new friends, as well as indulging in a few treats from the bulk foods store! It was so nice seeing my old friends, an it was Ben nicer meeting and remeeting my customers! 

  I debuted the first of my many new soaps... Cherry Almond came out with me to the show and was a big crowd pleaser! My Christmas soaps will be joining me next weekend, including Country Christmas, Christmas Night, and Christmas Cookie (my favorite!). 

Next weekend I will be at Hal Henard Elementary for the Greeneville Women's Club Craft Show and Holiday bazaar! This is one of my favorites! It will be indoors (yay!) and all weekend long, so let's bring it on!! 

Friday Spotlight: Licorice Lip Balm made with Anise Oil

Since Halloween is right around the corner, I figured it would be a good time to spotlight my licorice lip balm! I have a confession to make... I really do not care for licorice! It is one of my least favorite candy and I put off making this lip balm for ages! But, my husband adores licorice and begged me to make the balm for him. So, I figured that other licorice lovers would enjoy it, too!

My licorice lip balm is made with my usual combination of beeswax, unscented cocoa butter, and coconut oil. I love this combo because it makes the balm firm, yet it glides smoothly across the lips. I flavor the balm with anise essential oil and add a touch of sunflower oil for moisture. One of the best things about this lip balm is that it is completely natural. There are no synthetics at all, just natural goodness!

Anise essential oil is extracted from the anise seeds and is often used as the flavoring of licorice candy. While different from actual licorice root, the flavor of anise essential oil is extremely similar to licorice root, even though the plants are not related.

Licorice candy is a staple at Halloween, Absinthe is becoming a staple in the hipster scene, and my anise flavored lip balm is a staple in my lip balm lineup!

Wanna check out this interesting, classic flavored lip balm? Head over to my Zibbet shop now!

Twitter Feature Wednesday: #Handmade

It's time for another twitter feature Wednesday! This week, I searched for handmade awesomeness using the hashtag #handmade, and I found some amazing things made by amazing people! 

The first is an upcycled soap dispenser by @LovesOldStuff!

Next is a gorgeous wire wrapped nest ring by @SugarHillGems! 

And last for this week is a hand knit cranberry infinity scarf by @joysazplace! 

What a wonderful selection of #handmade goodness! Make sure to follow all of these handmade artists on Twitter for more #handmade goodness!

For next week's twitter feature, I will be looking for items with the hashtag #knit! 

With the weather outside getting colder, we all need something knit to keep us warm. So, fire up those hashtags and I will see you next week!

Kid-free Weekend and some Soap Porn

This past weekend, for the first time since our son was born, my husband and I had a child-free weekend! Benjamin spent the weekend with my in-laws, working on the farm...

Giving hay to the cows...

Driving tractors...

And indulging in a few s'mores at Myers pumpkin patch! 

While all of the fun was being had at Tunnell Farms, me and my husband enjoyed a lovely date night, filled with trips to antique stores, a stop at the Nutty Java (our new favorite coffee spot!) and dinner at Mad Greek in Bristol! 

I also found some time to knock out two great holiday soaps! 

This first one is called Country Christmas, which is a great blend of wood and pine, orange peel, berries, and snow scents. I colored the soap with a warm green base and swirled the top with some gold mica. Super simple, but I am in love! 

My second new holiday soap is one that I am calling "Christmas Night". The soap is a dark black soap, scented with black currant and topped with some white and gold sugar pearls and some iridescent glitter. 

And now, it's Monday. Husband went back to work and kiddo and I are back at school... But what an amazing weekend! 

Friday Spotlight: Pumpkin Lager Soap with real Pumpkin Puree

My pumpkin lager soap has been a huge hit on the craft show circut... I love all things pumpkin, and this soap really brings it all together to make a wonderful bathing experience!

The soap is vegan friendly, make with olive oil for mildness, coconut oil for cleansing, and castor oil for loads of bubbles. I added fresh pumpkin puree to the soap, which gives the soap a creamy texture, a light scent, a gorgeous orange hue, and packs loads of vitamins, which are excellent for skin!

The scent is called "Pumpkin Lager", with mixes strong notes of pumpkin with hardy lager notes, as well as a low note of musk and fall spices. It is not a sharp scent, but more of a deep scent that fills the air.

Want a bar of pumpkin-packed goodness for yourself? Head over to my Zibbet shop! Click here!

Twitter Feature Wednesday: #zibbet

I love to talk about handmade and feature handmade artists, so I would love to make my blogging platform a place where I can feature other handmade artists! 

This week I am featuring handmade twitter artists who tweet their items with the hashtag #zibbet. 

First up is Susan from @SpinningCastle and her beautiful  handmade earrings!

Next is Sandy from @BeadCactus and her hand beaded bracelet!

 And last for this week is Diane from @DustysSewing and her handmade apple-themed kitchen set!

For next week, I will be looking for Twitter listings using the hashtag #handmade. Feel free to tweet them directly to me at @SSpringDesigns or tag me in the listings! I cannot wait to see what the handmade community comes up with next!

Heritage Days 2013

One of my favorite craft shows is Heritage Days in Rogersville, TN, and I was so happy and proud to have SecondSpringSoaps there for the second year in a row! This is the show that I have been attending since childhood. It was the main reason that I anticipated the arrival of fall. And this year turned out to be a glorious one!!

My booth was right in the middle of Main Street. It is my perfect spot, although I missed my craft show friends who were a block down from me... 

Saturday was gorgeous and sunny, a nice mild day for the show. It was great seeing everyone! I made new friends, saw old ones, and remet with ghosts from my past! It was amazing reconnecting with my art teacher from elementary school, and showing her my new art canvas: soap! 

Sunday was cool, breezy, and was marked by a slight drizzle. It didn't matter, since our spirits were so high! It was another great day, filled with music and laughter and kettle corn! I was so sad to see it end for the year. So far, Heritage Days is quickly becoming one of my greatest shows! I loved seeing all of my repeat customers... That is so wonderful, knowing that someone loved my soap so much that they had to buy it again! 

Rogersville, it was fun! See you again in 2014! 

Featured Seller: Rhonda Kay from PhotosbyRKDesigns

It's time for another fun Featured Seller Q and A! I am so excited to get to talk to Rhonda Kay of PhotosbyRKDesigns on Etsy! Rhonda's shop features amazing photography... Her talent is amazing! Learn more about her below and make sure to check out her Etsy shop and her Facebook and Twitter!

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The Lily

1.Who are you and what do you sell? 
I am Rhonda Kay Spencer, I am a mother to 3 one of which was diagnosed with severe autism when he was 3. I sell nature, landscape, and fine art prints.

2.What inspired you to get started in your craft/start collecting vintage?
When I was young in my late teen's, early 20's a local photographer gave me photography lessons for about 3 years. Back then it was an all manual camera 35mm and we developed our own film. He started me out in Black and White film taking pictures of an old truck and I loved it. As life happens I got away from my love and life took over. We had 3 kids in 28 months and life was hard and busy. As they have grown I have been able to return to the things that give me piece on stress filled days. When the kids were really little I would travel around while they slept in the car and take pictures, the love of being creative through photography never left me.

3.What is your favorite part of your process?
My favorite part of this process is seeing if I can take what I see in my head and conveyed in the print. 

4.Handmade: What inspires you the most while you create?
I find inspiration in everything around me. I love taking an object whether it's a flower, bridge, or building and getting a view that is unique. 

5.If you could pick, what is your most favorite item in your Etsy shop?
My most favorite item is a hard choice for me. I think the Lilly would be in my top 5. I love the detail in this flower.

6.Got any social media links?
facebook www.facebook.com/photosbyrkdesigns
Twitter twitter.com/rkexpressions

7.Anything else that you want to share?
In this crazy chaotic world, it has been a blessing to be able to create unique photography that hopefully will make people smile.

Red and White Dayflowers

Apple Festival 2013 with Heather Applegate Photography and DynamiteFibers

I had an amazing weekend at Apple festival 2013 in Erwin, TN! This was my first year selling at Apple Festival, but not my first year shopping there! I was lucky to get to split a booth with two if my really great friends: Michelle from Dynamite Fibers and Heather from Heather Applegate Photography. 

I brought along my soaps, lip balms, bath bombs, and soy wax tarts. They filled the booth wonderfully with Michelle's marbled paper and dyed scarves and Heather's photography, both serious and fun marshmallow microcosm. 

I was so happy that my soaps were a big hit! I sold out of a few of my soaps and loads of my tarts. I've already started restocking the big favorites, getting ready for Heritage Days next weekend. 

I also held a #TweetUp during the festival, but I am not sure that remote Erwin, TN was the best place for this... I'm going to give it a go next week at Heritage Days and see if I get any bites. 

I had a blast Friday and Saturday, and I was a little sad to see our fun weekend end. But now I get to look forward to Heritage Days next weekend, and it is the craft show that I have been attending since I was a toddler! I hope the weather is beautiful and clear, the food is great, and the folks are ready to get clean!! 

Friday Spotlight: Oct. 2013 Soap - Candy Corn

It's officially October and I am overjoyed! October is one of my favorite months in the year. From the changing leaves to pumpkin EVERYTHING, I love it! And best of all, it's the month for Candy Corn!

So, while me and my family gorge ourselves on this tasty treat, my Candy Corn soaps are going to be sold as the soap of the month! Catch this creamy, delicious soap discounted all month long! (Warning: soap is not delicious. Please dont eat the soap!)


Wanna grab up a bar? Head on over to my Zibbet shop and check them out! Click here!

The Morristown Hillbilly Chili Cook-Off

The Morristown Hillbilly Chili Cook-off was held at Fred Miller Park in Morristown, TN, the little town where I spent my teenage years. Not only was I excited to get out with my soaps, but I was excited to help support a good cause. Proceeds from the chili cook-off went to support the local coalition against substance abuse. 

I had an amazing time and met some wonderful people. I also took the opportunity to debut my salt scrubs, which were a big hit! 

It was a good day, and it really got me pumped up to head to the Apple Festival this coming weekend! With the Motown show at my back, I'm heading full force into the biggest show of the year!