Indie A Go Go - Where are they now? CandleAbracadabra Updated W Video Review of new items and DISCOUNT CODE!

10% off with discount code REVIEW10

YAY!!! Another one of my indie loves that is alive and well!! 

CandleAbracadabra makes wonderfully scented candles with high quality soy wax. I'm particularly partial to soy wax as it's clean burning and disperses scent well. On top of that, the low melt temperature makes it perfect for sexy shenanigans, massage or plain old moisturizing of the skin. I have arthritis and I love to dip my poor painful fingers into the wax pool for a mini spa treatment that helps to relieve some of my joint pain. The cucumber melon is a lovely, light clean scent. It's excellent for small spaces or to clear out musty odors. Also great in the kitchen!  

And then there's the adorable chocolate lab candles :-)  

These are 

A: Super cute

B: Smell AMAZEBALLS

I can't even begin to express how good these smell. Like you live in Willy Wonka's factory. Nummy........

You can also get custom made candles and there are dozens of scents to choose from. If you're looking for candles, why get the generic stuff that everyone else has when you can support handmade and have something unique in the bargain? Long live handmade! 

Indie A Go Go - Where Are They Now? Paper & Place

SO previously I featured Paper & Place on my blog:





Paper  & Place
Paper & Place makes absolutely ADORABLE stuff! You can get customized pieces where you get to choose what you want on your jewelry and I SOOOOOO need to get one that shows Dallas! The charms! The cuff links! Seriously original, seriously handmade, seriously awesome. When you check out, you just let her know what location you want on your piece (the map pieces) and easy breezy, puddin and pie, there you go!  I have a few of her hairpins that I like to wear on an almost daily basis because they're not just beautiful and unique, but also sturdy. Go take a browse through the store and see what you think!


So imagine my delight to see that they are still going strong! Yay! I SOOOOO need these drawer pulls.....



So visit Paper And Place and let her know that The Beauty Pirate sent ya- you will be blown away by the gorgeous pieces that wait for you there! There's even a huge clearance section at the moment, so it's a perfect time to go visit. SUPPORT HANDMADE!!!!

Shaped By Hand handcrafted jewelry

A while back I received these sterling silver and czech glass earrings from Shaped By Hand in a sampler box. Very well made and quite striking with the hair worn down, they became one of my go to pairs. Recently I rediscovered them while unpacking and realized that I needed to check out their Etsy store and see if they were still around. Lucky me, they are! Whoo hoo! FINALLY I don't have to mourn the door shuttering of another indie business.

There is SO much gorgeous stuff on this page, I highly recommend you check them out. 

I want this necklace so hard it makes my face hurt. Mama needs to stop having an overdrawn bank account first..... Losing three months of work because of spinal surgery kinda puts a crimp in the old financials. 

Support Handmade!

It makes me so sad when I go back to visit a favorite seller and they're gone :-( I realize that's the nature of the game; people move on, pick up new hobbies or sadly just give up. Because of my current invalidism, I decided to stop by The Button Bowl to pick up some more cute barrettes because I am trying to keep my hair out of my face while I wear my neck brace only to find them sadly hasta la vista. I had previously bought the barrette below from them and was hoping for more girly vintageness to keep me looking my best (er, better? Um, not like a hobo, anyway?)




So instead of saying, Oh I want some new hairpins, I'll get these Goody hairclips at Walgreens, why not take a few extra minutes and get something unique and handmade? When there's a handmade option out there, pay the few extra quid knowing that you're keeping the independent spirit alive. Keep America funky, one purchase at a time!

Handmade Goodies Extravaganza!

I always like to give support to handmade sellers-  I think that handmade items are great because they have tons of personality and tend to be unique. Who wants the same stuff as everybody else?

Sadly, sometimes all the support in the world doesn't help. I've been raving about Cherry City Bath & Body for years, but when I tried to contact Amy, I never heard back and the Facebook page hasn't been updated in a loooong time. This makes me super sad since I had intended to stock back up on her fantabulous leave in conditioner spray. So that sucks, because she had awesome products and I have never seen a detangler/conditioner spray as awesome as this one. Let this be a lesson to ya- if you like a seller, shout it from the rooftops! Send business their way! Let them know what you like about their stuff. Don't let them go the way of the dodo.

Lucky for me, there's still other wonderful sellers out there. For instance:



If you watch my videos, then you've seen me wear her jewelry constantly. (Like here and here) Her prices are awesome and I love the way she mixes whimsical, fun and funky.

I recently purchased this set:
  which has gotten tons of raves. I actually bought a ton of stuff from her, I'll do a dedicated video soon! In the meantime, you can get a mystery bag of jewelry from her for a great price!




Owl Say designs makes some of the coolest stuff on the planet. Diaper bags, wallets, passport covers, you name it! I love the adorable retro designs.

I have this rucksack which I got an incredible deal on because it was an oopsie (not quite centered.) No biggie to me, I still get TONS of compliments on it and it's so unique and original! You can even pick out what color threads you want! And did I mention how inexpensive they are? Crazy!
 





Blessed Beads specializes in handmade rosaries and rosary bracelets, but has other items, too, including the beautiful keychain that I show off in the video. She uses gorgeous semi-precious stones, so these are not your cookie cutter, store bought pieces. She'll also do custom orders! 

I think this rosary bracelet is stunning!

  What can I say? I'm a sucker for spicy scents in general, and high glycerine soaps in particular, so this one really twirls my skirt! A 4oz bar is only $5.99 and this leaves your skin oh so very soft! Between the high moisture and the mild exfoliation, you won't be able to keep your hands off of yourself . Now I need to try the bath salts in the same scent! There's also a spiced goat's milk soap that has me intrigued........Yum.......





Okay, so ridiculously adorable, right? From plain old cuteness to the most awesome dress-up gear like, EVER- this is the shop for you. Whether you have kids or are just a kid at heart, you can't beat the super cool goodies and the even more super cool prices. And I SO know a lady that will be wanting this here good doctor....

And the Snow White mask? Seriously, where were these when I was a kid? And surely ya'll wont judge me for wanting to wear this on my adult noggin, will ya?





Here we find jewelry that's both classic and classy. I love the beads that she uses and the sturdy build of the pieces (yet they look so dainty!) Below are the earrings I'm wearing in the video, and I'm particularly partial to the textured beads on either side of the Murano glass.




Ohhhhhh, but this bracelet- I'm in love! Absolutely stunning with a gorgeous art deco sensibility.


So where are you doing your holiday shopping? Why not give your bucks to indie artisans instead of throwing your money down the corporate gullet this year? Let 'em know The Beauty Pirate sent ya!

Indie Love

Trillium Organics   

I am absolutely nuts about Trillium Organics Body Polish. Whenever I need an instant pick me up, I hop into the shower for a quick refreshing scrub, bringing my Trillium Organics Pink Grapefruit Organic Body Polish with me. This stuff is da bomb and is handmade in Wisconsin. Another great item to perk you up after a long day when you have more ahead of you, the pink grapefruit scent is invigorating and refreshing and returns you to a state of alertness and energy. Not only does it remove the day's debris from your skin, but safflower, soy and vitamin E oils leave you feeling so silky you don't need a body moisturizer. A plus- Grapefruit is a detoxifier AND reduces cellulite! They are also certified organic by the USDA!

Sweet Peanut Pie Sugar Scrub

 I got the honor of trying out a new product being developed by Sweet Peanut Pie, a peppermint sugar scrub. Super energizing and soothing and the perfect blend of smooth oils and scrubby sugar granules. It wasn't so oily that it made the tub floor slippery, but had enough that I didn't even need a body lotion afterward. The peppermint was zingy and gave a lovely tingling feel. My skin was soft and and rid of all dry spots. Yummy, and I can't wait until they start selling it- keep your eyes open, and in the meantime try out some of their adorable bath fizzies!

I've raved about Overall Beauty's mineral line before, but I wanted to revisit their awesomeness. 
I love that they have sampler packs that you can play around with, and the colors are generally pretty eye popping, especially if you do a wet application. They have a number of metallics that I'm quite fond of and they specialize in a lot of "gothy" colors that are really lovely. The minerals can be applied just about anywhere, even mixed with clear polish for nail color! Silly as it may seem, I like to use some of the blues and greens as lip shimmers when I feel like really standing out- though granted this is a look that I tend to not wear to work at the library.....A little goes a long way so they last forever- I have sample jars from them that lasted longer than some full sized pans. Go check out some of their awesome sparkly colors like Flash and Imagine! And let me reiterate, for $1.50 you can a generous sample jar of any color!

Sweet Tarts

To think, a few short years ago, I'd never even heard of scent tarts. I received some and thought they were soap samples! now I'm an addict and lucky for me, there's tons of folks out there making some good ones. It's a great way to support independent artisans without breaking the bank.

I like that I can have the type of scent dispersal as with a candle without worrying that I'm gonna set the house on fire. (I used to have a very curious kitty that was constantly singeing her whiskers on candle flames. Poor thing just never learned....) but these are much safer than candles as there's no actual flame and the wax melts at a much lower heat point so even if you spill some wax on you, it won't burn. As a matter of fact, I often dip my fingers into the wax pool to provide relief to the arthritis in my hands and love to rub the wax into rough patches on my skin for deep moisturizing. The warmed wax also makes for a terrific (and relaxing) massage. While most folks toss the wax after the scent is gone, I keep a little cup by my burner to pour it into to reuse for just such purposes.

So if you've never tried out anyone but Scentsy and don't know where to start, here's some good businesses who make great products to try out!

The Gingerbread Cupboard makes generously sized tarts and tends to throw in extras with your shipment as well. I always know I'm getting quality product with DIVINE smells! A jazillion scents to choose from, though I'm crazy for the apple scents....

Ugly Duckling Designs has a mind blowing assortment of items, not just tarts, but candles, decor, dolls, and just about anything country style primitive under the sun. You can even host an online candle party for your friends to get free products! There's monthly candle and tarts clubs too! Talk about your one stop shopping! Mmmmmmm, orange dreamsicle.......

 Don't you want to EAT these!?!?!?









Anam Cara Candles  specializes in triple scented tarts and candles, so they have a really good strong scent that lasts a long time. They will also make wickless candles for those with wickless candle burners. The bakery scents are my particular favorites, the husband often asks me what I've been cooking when I melt one of these!

Delightful Scents makes wonderful tarts and what I really love is that you can get sampler bags so you can mix and match your scents. (Guess what my friends got last Christmas?) They also offer e-parties with hostess gifts and unlike a lot of tart sellers, they have an absolutely ENORMOUS selection of warmers as well! There's always a good deal on whatever is the scent of the month, so be sure to see if that tickles your fancy.

This is just a tiny handful of the options out there, but for those of you new to the world of scent tarts, it should give you a good place to start.