Item: Body Moisturizer Gift Set
Seller: mariedean

Meet Adriene Marie, the seller behind MarieDean – a bath and beauty shop on Etsy.com!

I met Adriene via my Etsy Item of the Day shop submission form.  I was really excited to see Adriene sells multi-product packs, which is such a great way to see if you like her handmade beauty products!

My favorite was this body moisturizer gift set for women (pictured above), which includes 4 oz each of her skin cream, moisturizer, body butter, and body cream!

“I have been creating scrumptious hair and body products for over 6 years now,” she told me. “Back then, I wanted to make natural hair butters and conditioners for myself. So, I purchased a natural hair and skin recipe book and embarked on a new venture of blending wholesome ingredients to make luscious hair care products. I ended up developing many delicious hair creations that made my hair super healthy. I later put my creative talents to work crafting bath and body products. I gifted to friends and family any extras I had from my handmade batches of hair and body concoctions. My network of friends and family especially loved how the hair butters and conditioners promoted hair growth, nourished and conditioned their hair. They also loved the way the body moisturizers softened their skin. Their encouraging feedback and support inspired me to launch Hair & Body Care.”

“I love what I do. I believe in my products and take pride in creating them,” Adriene Marie said. “I use lush ingredients such as organic botanical extracts, exotic butters and highly moisturizing fruit and vegetable oils that are beneficial to your hair and skin.”

“I do not use hair and skin formulation bases and add actives. All of my products are formulated by me and freshly made by hand every day. I make natural hair and body products for all hair and skin types. So, whether you have kinky, curly, wavy, straight or chemically-treated hair, I have a hair product for you. If you have dry, oily or sensitive skin, I have a body moisturizer that will make your skin soft and supple,” she said.

“When I’m not crafting, I am writing poetry and novels. I love to write and have been writing since I was a teenager,” Adriene Marie told me.

Adriene’s advice to sellers is great:

“Be patient and do not get frustrated with lack of sales…they may trickle in at first, network with other shop owners, read the forums and sign up for Etsy’s weekly e-mail newsletters — they offer valuable information to help your shop thrive,” she said.

So what’s coming up next for MarieDean on Etsy.com?

“I’m creating more yummy hair and body products — delicious whipped sugar scrubs and lovely styling creams. I plan on including Gluten-Free hair and body products in my shop,” she said.

Loving MarieDean on Etsy? Be sure to connect with Adriene Marie online! Visit her blog, check out her Facebook page, and be sure to follow @mariedeanonline on Twitter!

- Jackie

Item: Organic Rehab Face Soap
Seller:  SunMune

I once purchased charcoal soap from Lush, and it totally changed my world.  And then, like many other things, I sort of forget about it once it runs out.

I came across an Etsy shop called SunMune via my Etsy Item of the Day shop submission page and was really excited to see this seller listed a similar charcoal face soap.  Although I haven’t used this seller’s soap, I can tell you that charcoal face soap was incredible for my oily skin! I absolutely love it!

So why does this soap rock? Here’s what the seller had to say in the Etsy item description:

““Rehab” is a detoxifying soap for your skin. Our skin always needs a little rehab with pollutants in the air and the dirt we don’t see living happily in our pores! I have added activated charcoal, grapefruit essential oil and a lovely amount of shea butter,” she explains. “Activated charcoal is of a porous nature and therefore absorbs the toxins in your skin. It’s wonderful for skin issues like acne but also good for normal or oily skin. Grapefruit essential oil has an anti septic quality and is great for toning and skin issues.”

Cortney Langenegger is the seller behind SunMune, a bath and beauty shop on Etsy.com.

“I’ve been making soap and candles for the last 12 years,” Cortney told me. “I’m a spouse of an active duty Air Force member. I’m also a veteran, a reservist, a mom of a 7 year old son. I work at Kirtland AFB in New Mexico as the sponsorship coordinator and I’m on my way to finishing my degree in Organizational Leadership. But my passion, is soap, salt, oils, and candles.”

When I asked Cortney where she likes to shop on Etsy, she told me about EraDansLherbe.

“I guess you could consider her a rival but I find her items amazingly beautiful. She makes me strive to better in my own craft,” she said.

Cortney’s advice to sellers is to not give up and keep pushing. “I imagine the next best thing is just waiting to be discovered via a mom n’ pop shop like myself. Network, tweet, facebook and enjoy sites like this to help them promote their amazing crafts,” she said.

So what’s next for Cortney’s shop SunMune?

“I keep on trucking! I’m expanding my craft, coming up with new recipes. The trick is to be innovative but keep the natural and organic ingredients. As this becomes a new wave and more suppliers are selling organic, I try to keep my finger on the pulse so I can offer the best in ingredients to my customers,” she said.

Connect with Cortney!  Follow her on Twitter @SunMune or check out her Facebook page here!

- Jackie

Item: Rose & Chamomile Facial Set
Seller: MarbleandMilkweed

I have been looking forward to today all week long. I am so excited to be making some time for myself today and getting a microdermabrasion treatment at a darling local day spa.  If you’re wondering what exactly microdermabrasion is, here’s the skinny.

What I love about Etsy is that you can literally find anything on the site, and it’s all handmade.  I came across this cute shop (called MarbleandMilkweed) and wanted to share it with you guys today.  This Rose and Chamomile Facial Set (selling for $55) would seriously make the best present for any woman in your life.

You hear that, Santa?

“Our Rose & Chamomile collection is growing! We’re so excited to announce the debut of our Rose & Chamomile Cleansing Grains, Cleansing Nectar & Facial Tonic,” the seller writes in the item description. “The goal of our newly expanded repertoire is to give you more mix and match options for facial cleansing that can be varied by skin type, time of year and however you are feeling in the moment. Naturally!”

The $55 set includes the following

-Facial Scrub (5.5 oz)
- Facial Nectar (4 fl. oz)
- Cleansing Grains (2 oz)
- Facial Tonic (4 fl. oz).

Buying them separately from this seller will run $62, so save yourself $7 and purchase all four products together.

No time to wrap?  I am always a huge fan of Etsy sellers that take the time to get the product “gift-ready” for you.  This facial set comes wrapped beautifully!

Really excited for my treatment today, and you know I added on an express pedicure.  Holiday parties, here I come!

- Jackie

Item: Eco Friendly Soy Candles
Seller: Luminology

I saw that an Etsy shop called Luminology was featured on the home page of Etsy.com and I wanted to share some of the interview with all of you.  This looks like a really cool shop for holiday gift shopping – so be sure to check it out!

“I am Angie and I live in Davenport, Iowa which sits alongside the Mississippi River,” Angie told Etsy.com.  “Luminology came into being right about the time I turned 40 in 2010. It started as a brainstorming session around the topic of “Gee, what do I want to be when I grow up?” and evolved into creating simple, beautiful products and owning my own business.”

“I’m a graphic designer by trade and have been working in front of a computer forever (hence, the glasses — computers have ruined my eyes),” she said. “I am a free spirit. I don’t like people telling me what to do. I’m rather quiet but can be funny if provoked. I have freckles which I have generously passed down to my two kids.”

Etsy.com asked Angie who has been most influential in her craft and she said anyone who has said yes or encouraged her has been influential.

“It takes a lot of yeses and a lot of encouragement to do what I do. Most importantly, my family, because it takes time to create/make and and they are always very supportive of me,” Angie said.  “People along the way who have answered questions, offered advice, been willing to collaborate — all these people have played a crucial role as well. I really want to throw a huge party and invite all of them over to say thank you!”

This entire interview is really awesome, and so is Angie’s shop.  Be sure to read the rest of the interview here and peep Luminology by clicking the shop name at the top of this feature!

- Jackie