DeShawn Marie Handmade Soap in Baltimore

You can find DeShawn Marie Handmade Soap at many retail locations throughout the USA, Europe and Asia.  If in the Baltimore area stop in and pick up your DeShawn Marie Soap at Harbor Lights Tanning, they carry our entire line. http://harborlightstanning need more information on our soap stop by http://deshawnmarie.com

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DeShawn Marie Etsy Shop

DeShawn Marie Handmade Soap Gifts

Here is a sneak peek into my Christmas gift selection.  You can find links to all of my online shops at http://deshawnmarie.com

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DeShawn Marie Etsy Shop

New Handmade Soap Gifts now available at my Etsy shop

The Anytime Handmade Soap Gift!

I've created this gift to fit pretty much any occasion.  Birthday, holiday, friendship, Mother's day, Spring, you name it.  Featuring 2 of my handmade soap packaged in my popular gold boxes and then wrapped in gold paper, adorned with a gorgeous satin edged bow and gift card.

The Perfect Soap Gift with new damask gift tag!

 My popular "Perfect Soap Gift" now has the option of adding a gorgeous damask gift tag.  Great for the holidays, office gifts, holiday party hostess gifts and more!

Holiday Handmade Soap Gift

 Speaking of the holidays, yes I know it's early, but I have to start preparing now so I thought I'd give you guys a little peek in to what is in store for the holidays.  Gorgeous gift wrapping options for this season!

Just because you are a great friend gift

 This cute little gift with special "friend" tag makes a great little something to brighten your favorite people's day.  Everybody loves handmade soap especially when it comes from some one they love.  This is also a preview to what some of my bridal, wedding and shower favors will be for the 2011 season.

A lot of new options will be popping up in my Etsy gift section over the next few weeks so stop back by to see more.  Keep DeShawn Marie handmade soap bookmarked for anytime you need a quick gift.

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Announcing my new soap collection!

Well the moment you've all been waiting for is here. (at least I'd like to think you were waiting for it LOL) I've finally unveiled my NEW exotic soaps.  They are now listed at my Etsy shop deshawnmarie.etsy.com I will work on getting them listed on my website, artfire and other online shops, but for now they can be purchased at my Etsy shop.  I was so excited that my first day I listed them I sold several.  I am very proud of these new babies so I won't waste any more time and will get to the good stuff, the pictures!

FIRST IS THE ANISE CLOVE
I'll have to admit I consider this soap my masterpiece. 6 months of research and collecting the right ingredients went into developing this prized beauty.

This isn't for the vanilla ice cream girl, this is for the more adventurous. For those who like to take a walk on the wild side. Very exotic aroma with intoxicating qualities. Contains ground anise from China, anise oil, clove oil and ginger oil to fill the air with an aroma that will keep everyone coming back for more.

SECOND ON THE LIST IS THE SUGAR LIME

I've wanted to make this soap for a long time.  The picture of what I wanted it to look like has been in my head for almost a year and then voila I finally got around to it!!  Smells fantastic too!

It's like sipping on a Mojito on a hot summer day. Bursting with Lime essential oil this soap is a real refresher. Sugar and mint leaves are embedded throughout the soap for exfoliation and a true Mojito experience. It's an absolute delight in the shower. Very refreshing and a great picker upper when you are feeling a little down.

 

THIRD IN THE LINE UP IS ORANGE SPICE

Ok now I know most soap makers have an orange spice type soap and I should have had one by now, I've wanted to make one for years, but others just ended up taking importance over it.  Now I know why, I didn't want it to be just another orange spice soap.  I wanted it to be special.  So here it is!

Just like the name sounds. A big burst of oranges with hints of cinnamon, clove and ginger. Dusted with orange peel and cinnamon for exfoliation. Perfect for the fall season, warming, calming and sweet.

 

FOURTH COMES THE EUCALUPTUS LAVENDER

Now this isn't just your ordinary Eucalyptus Lavender, I've put a bit of a twist on it and added some spices.  It makes the aroma much more intriguing and interesting.

It's like Sri Lanka met the Australian outback. With therapeutic aromas such as Eucalyptus and Lavender coming together with a spice blend you are bound to have something unique and special. It's a very interesting combination, for the daring and wild at heart

 

LAST BUT NOT LEAST IS MY NEW ORANGE ROSE SOAP

At first it seemed like an odd combination to try, but then when I started playing around with it I fell in love.  Definitely one of my favorite new ones.  It's just so different and exotic.

Imagine walking through a market filled with Roses, Oranges, Vanilla and a splash of Nutmeg. There now do you picture it better? It's a complex but pleasant aroma. Soft but full and not to mention this soap is a real looker ;-)

Well there you have it 5 new soaps for the holiday season.  I might surprise you and squeak in a few other new ones before the holidays, but not sure yet...the ideas are in my head, we'll see if I can get it done before the holidays.  In the mean time soak up these new babies and enjoy.  They are my pride and joy :-)

They are all at my Etsy shop now, drop by and get yours. deshawnmarie.etsy.com

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Making Lip Balm at Home

With this recipe you can find most of the items at your local Whole foods or health food store. This is a great idea to make for little giveaways for a party or shower. It's super easy and natural

• 1.5 oz of beeswax beads
• 1 oz of coconut oil
• 0.8 oz of sunflower oil
• 0.3 oz of lanolin
• 15 drops of Vitamin E oil
• 10 drops of Honey or honey flavored oil
• Small lip balm containers or tubes

Melt all the ingredients in microwave safe container such as a
glass measuring cup. Remove when the beeswax has melted.
Add flavor oil and color, if desired. Slowly pour into lip balm
containers or tubes. They will harden immediately. Label and seal.
This is a fun one to do with kids too!

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Tis the season to prepare

Photo above is my freshly made Perfect Rose soap that I have been packaging all week.

If you are a crafter you probably already understand from the title what this post is about.

Every year at this time I am busy, busy, busy preparing for the hectic holiday season ahead. I've never understood that whole Christmas in July sale stuff as I can barely prepare for the real Christmas in December. This time of year is the time in which I am making soap non-stop day and night. During August and September I practically package soap in my sleep so that my little golden boxed creations can make it to some one's stocking or under some one's Christmas tree this year. I've been doing this 12 years now and I still never feel prepared enough for the tidal wave of new fans that discover my creations every year from receiving them as gifts or by searching online for that special something to give to their loved ones.

Today I am making my Orange Vanilla soap and my whole house smells like creamsicles...Mmmmm another big part of why I love this time of year :-)


Due to all of the corporate greed and major financial mismanagement going on in this world there has been a movement to support handmade and the little guy like me. When grabbing those handmade holiday gifts this season remember all of us that prepared and worked all year long to bring these creations to you. We don't have big machinery, huge factories or 100's of employees, we bring you these creations from our hearts and our genuine desire to create them for you. As I sit here this morning tying bows on gifts to prepare, I have a smile on my face knowing some one is truly going to love receiving this as a gift this year. Some how from day to day that keeps me going.

The pure joy of creating and bringing something beautiful into the world with my own 2 hands for others gives me a satisfaction that is hard to put into words. I truly love what I do, but I couldn't love it without you and your support. A big thank you to all of you that support handmade and crafters this holiday season.

If you are reading this in a Facebook note, a reader or some other format then go to my blog at DeShawn's Blog to see the original post.

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Loopy Knits Boutique

I’ve recently had the pleasure of doing business with Kelli of Loopy Knits Boutique and little did I know the luxury of hand knitted washcloths.  I’ve been using my own soap for 12 years and never even thought about handmade washcloths to go with them.  I was lucky enough that Kelli found me on Etsy and approached me about including some of my soaps as samples to go with her washcloths.

After I sent out the soaps she ordered I couldn’t get my mind from thinking “gosh I want to try some of those washcloths”  So I approached Kelli with the idea of swapping some soap for some washcloths and was very pleased she said yes.  My entire experience of working with Kelli has been wonderful, she is very communicative, understanding, easy to work with and flexible.  On top of that she is extremely talented, just take a look at her shop at Loopy Knits Boutique. 

I’ve now received my wonderful lime and raspberry cloths and am really pleased.  I had no idea how nice it could feel to use hand knitted cloths such as these.  I couldn’t help but write about it and share the experience with others.  If you love handmade soaps you should try some handmade cloths to go with them, you’ll never want to go back to terry, just like Kelli advertises.

Chai Tea anyone?

Today I've been whipping up a batch of Chai Tea soap.  I absolutely love the spicy aroma that fills the air when I make this soap.  It is also one of my favorite soaps to use in the winter time as it is very warming and the cinnamon contained in it works as a great exfoliator for dry skin.

I use an orange essential oil from Florida in the soap, the cinnamon oil is from Sri Lanka and the clove oil is from Madagascar.  I searched for the top oils to use in this soap for years and now have a solid supply to continue creating the Chai Tea soap. 

Alot of people comment when they smell my soaps that they want to eat them and this one is one that I almost have to hold myself back from taking a bite out of.  It smells so delicious.  The spicy aroma reminds me of the holiday season or fall.  You can find this soap at my Etsy store or my website if you would like to purchase it.  This one is definitely FRESHLY MADE!  All of my soaps can be stored up to 2 years if kept in an airtight container.

Boston Handmade Downtown

Well I've been without a computer for a few weeks so sorry for the delay in posting this. Just got my computer back from HP a couple of days ago and been catching up with everything ever since. I've had quite a bit going on in the last couple of weeks including my latest news about Boston Handmade Downtown. This is a storefront in Downtown Boston located at 505 Washington St. near Downtown Crossing T station and a short walk from the Commons. It is a gathering of 30 local Boston Artists filling a storefront for the holiday season, all items are handmade by the artists. You can find all kinds of wonderfully unique items there. Here is a link to the main site for more informationBoston Handmade Downtown. If you are looking for all of the artists involved here is a link to the artists and their Etsy stores Boston Handmade Downtown Exhibitors. Hope if you are in the area you drop by to see all of this wonderful work in person.