Baby of OZ

Take a look at my new Etsy Treasury "BABY OF OZ".

Leave a comment on the treasury and earn an additional entry into our Comment Palooza Giveaway! This treasury will expire on the 27th so get your comments in soon:)

What's a treasury you might ask? An Etsy Treasury is an ever-changing, member curated shopping gallery of handpicked items.

Great Garage Sale Find

I went to a garage sale today and was told by the house-owner to fill a bag for $2! We found hotwheels, play groceries and all kinds of goodies. The best find was this:

Vintage 1973 Fisher Price Movie Viewer

It came with "Lonesome Ghosts" a film about Mickey Mouse and his crew battling a group of ghosts for their so-called haunted house. This is one toy Sean has to pry out of my hand. It's definitely a blast from the past!

Felt food is FABULOUS

Martha Stewart had the cutest show today! Check out the following for ideas for making kids' kitchens and playfood!


How to make a cherry pie from Lilly Bean Market
How to make a cardboard oven
How to make doll chairs and table


I am definitely making some food for little man's grocery store. They're so cute and there's no worry about lead paint or BPA. Just good clean fun!

NO COMMENT! Announcing the comment-palooza giveaway!

Fans, friends and customers,

Got something to say!????!?? Here's your opportunity. I NEED to hear from you!! Post a comment on my blog (http://ezpeazy.blogspot.com) on any post and you'll be automatically entered into our newest giveaway.......COMMENT-PALOOZA. Each comment receives one entry! September 1st i'll draw a name randomly and that person will receive a surprise from my shop. I realize sharing your comments take time and it's important you know how valuable your thoughts are!

Feedback, new ideas, suggegstions for my blog and ETSY shop are ALWAYS welcome and very much appreciated!

And the winner is...............

And the winner is............Mary Mills of mmillsdesigns!

Mary is a fellow Etsian and has been selling her beautiful jewelry since the end of 2008. While Mary is currently reconfiguring her shop (due to be done at the end of August) you can still see some of her work at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmillsdesigns/
Also, take a moment and become a fan of hers if you aren't already!
http://www.facebook.com/mmillsdesigns

Mary will be receiving a bar of my handmade soap- Patchouli Oatmeal! This is my absolute favorite scent. This time around i've added ground oatmeal to provide exfoliating properties. This is on the stronger sides of scents, but I love it. It's musky, earthy and clean- all in one!

Please be patient as I restock my soap scents. I have been upgrading my equipment and supplies and will be making soap like crazy in the weeks to come. I've got one batch curing already and many additional new scents on the way. Stay tuned for our second giveaway coming down the pike this fall.....SUPER SOAP GIVEAWAY!!

Thanks to all for the support. Keep your eyes open for discounts and coupons coming your way!

Facebook Fans Give-AWAY!

Join my Facebook Fans page and if you're fan #101 or below, you'll be entered into a giveaway drawing! Can't tell you what I'm giving away, but it's FREE!!! Who doesn't love that!

Fan benefits:
- be the first to know about sales
- get valuable coupon information just for fans!
- participate in giveaways
- belong to a really cool and groovy group of people
- I'll like you more

All kidding aside, I plan to use my facebook fanpage as a great way to communicate what's happening in my ETSY world.

Suds of Sustainability

sustainability (n.): the means of configuring civilization and human activity so that society, its members and its economies are able to meet their needs and express their greatest potential in the present, while preserving biodiversity and natural ecosystems, planning and acting for the ability to maintain these ideals in the very long term.

I have used palm oil in nearly every batch of soap i've made over the years. While reordering soap supplies I ran across some alarming information regarding palm oil and could not turn a blind eye. Not only are skyrocketing prices starving the people of many developing countries, the orangutan is being slaughtered by our thirst for this oil.

Over the last few years palm oil prices have jumped 70% due to demand, but the supply for palm oil is only slowly increasing. It takes 8 years for a palm tree to be mature enough to produce the fruit which yields the oil. Therefore many farmers and plantation companies are clearing hundreds of thousands of acres of tropical forest to plant additional palms. This tropical forest is (was) the home to many of our nearest relatives...the Orangutan. Did you know Orangutans share approximately 97.8% of our DNA and express a range of emotions that is just as wide as our own?

Here's a quote from the article listed below: "The palm oil and timber industries are guilty of truly horrific ecological atrocities, one of which is the systematic genocide of orangutans. When the forest is cleared, adult orangutans are generally shot on sight. In the absences of bullets they are beaten, burned, tortured, mutilated and often eaten as bushmeat."

So you ask "What can I do?"

1) If you make soap use a supplier that is part of the RSPO- the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. Thanks to JoAnna who researched this information- Soaper's Choice/Columbus Foods offers an organic palm oil that is sustainably harvested. This is my new palm oil supplier!

2) Choose soap (handmade or commercially made), make up and food companies that use suppliers who are part of the RSPO. Unilever and L'Oreal are a few. When in doubt ask them!

3) Educate yourself. While this topic is not without controversy, educate yourself and make a stand. It's not okay to say...my bar of soap won't affect anything, because in the end it absolutely does and already has.

A New, Global Oil Quandary: Costly Fuel Means Costly Calories

The Other Oil Shock

The Struggle for Palm Oil

Orangutans and palm oil: What's the connection?