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

Item: Handmade Lip Balm and Soap
Seller:  thesoapseduction

Remember when I was waiting for my store-bought soap to run out so I could make the switch to handmade only in the shower?

The day came and I reached out to the Twitterverse to see if anyone had any good deals to offer.

I ended up placing an order with a shop called TheSoapSeduction, and I am loving my purchase!  Here’s what I picked up:

- Peppermint Poppy Seed Soap on sale for $4.25 (pictured above)

- “Cool Hand Cuke” – Cucumber Mint-Scented Hot Processed Soap on sale for $3.50 (pictured below)

This Etsy seller also had a great deal going on when I purchased:

Buy any 2 sale soaps, and get a lip balm of your choice!

Both of the soaps I had my eye on turned out to be soaps on sale, so I was able to get a free lip balm.

Here’s what I chose:

This lemon pound cake ultra moisturizing lip balm is awesome and smells amazing!

I also decided to pick up a second lip balm for $3.00 to use as a stocking stuffer!  I picked the almond biscotti lip balm because it sounded like it would be such a yummy smelling scent.

This is a great shop with great pricing if you are thinking of making the switch to handmade beauty products!

- Jackie

Item: 5 Guest Soaps
Seller:  Mylana

When I visited Clare Corcoran’s Etsy shop (called Mylana), the first thing that stood out to me was this 5 soaps for $5 deal on guest soaps!  This is a really clever idea – you get five guest size soaps chosen at random from this seller’s samples.  The soaps are 1-1.5 oz each and good for about 7-10 showers, which is perfect for a guest!

I have also recently vowed to make the switch from commercially made soap to the handmade variety, so this would be an awesome chance to try handmade soap for a great price. I am waiting until my store-bought soap runs out – and then I am going to try handmade!

“It will be a grab bag and may include cold process or glycerin soaps. They might be scented with fragrance oils, essential oils, or unscented. You may recieve plain soap with no fragrance or color, but not more than one bar. They are colored with soap dye, mineral pigments and micas, clay, or no color,” Clare explains in the Etsy item description.

I heard about Clare’s shop via an Etsy Item of the Day shop submission.

“I am 34 and I have been making candles and soap for a little more than 10 years. I love turtles and using recycled materials,” she told me. “I enjoy cooking, walking, and playing World of Warcraft.”

When I asked Clare where she likes to shop on Etsy.com, she told me about a shop called TeaMan.

“I buy my herbal tea from this seller,” she said.  ”His fruit teas are strong and the shipping is fast.”

Clare has great advice to other Etsy.com sellers:

“Don’t be afraid to start because you think your items don’t look good enough compared to the top sellers. Start now, you can always learn and improve,” she said.

So what’s coming up next for Mylana?  Clare says she is planning on expanding the scents that she offers and learning how to make incense!

Be sure to follow Clare’s shop on social media!  Check out her Facebook page, Twitter @MylanaEtsy, and blog!

- Jackie