Item: Lavender Scented Gift Set
Seller: ClearEssential

Meet Etsy seller Sylvia Parker, the force behind ClearEssential.  ClearEssential has tons of great natural and botanical skin care products, including bath salts, moisturizers, lotions and scrubs, acne and anti aging remedies.  All of Sylvia’s products are made with essential oils and the power of herbs, plants and trees to help you look your best.

I met Sylvia via my Etsy Item of the Day shop submission page.  When I visited her shop, I was immediately drawn to this lavender scented gift set, which is listed for $35.00.  I think gift sets are a great way to try out new beauty products to see if they are a good fit.  This set includes:

• 2oz Relax Massage Balm Honey & Lavender scented with Shea & Cocoa Butter
• 4oz Serenity Epsom Bath Salt Soak infused with Lavender essential oil
• 4oz Shine Body Lotion with Honey,Milk and Lavender scented
• 2oz Glow Sugar Body Scrub delightful with just a hint of Lavender
• 4oz Natural Shower Gel Sulfate free with nourishing Shea Butter

“I am a mom of 2 and have made creams and lotions and medications for 15+ years now as I used to be a compounding pharmacy technician,” Sylvia told me. “While working at the pharmacy, I made incredible medications for very sick people but also wondered, if there is not a more natural approach to it. I started my research and passion for herbal remedies. I feel there needs to be a good balance and that aromatherapy/herbal remedies have a valid place in medicine.I pondered with the idea of making natural skin care products for quiet a while and finally made the jump.”

“I love what I am doing, I love it to be green and be environmentally responsible,” she continued. “Why would you want to put artificial chemicals on your skin if there is a natural alternative out there that works just as well if not better?”

When she’s not working on new products for her shop, Sylvia stays busy.

“I really like to work out…and eat. I want to keep my body in the best shape possible,” she told me. “I love Bikram yoga and “Willpower and Grace,” a pilates like cardio/leg workout. I enjoy the time I have with my kids and going on bike rides and I am always on a hunt for new dinner recipes.”

Sylvia’s advice to those selling on Etsy is to love what you are doing and believe in yourself. “I saw a lot of people doubting themselves,” she said. “Then have a plan or a list of what you want to do. Have a vision and keep working on it. Learn as much as you can about tags and how to optimize your store and network, network, network. You won’t believe what opportunities may knock on your door.”

Be sure to visit Sylvia on Facebook here!

- Jackie

Item: Mother’s Day Pink Treasury
Curator: Shanionie

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there!

I wanted to share this Etsy Treasury I came across. I am loving all the pink!  The curator Shanionie found some great items to include.  Here are two of my favorites:

Sweet “LOVE” banner in white and shades of yellow from an Etsy shop called LucysArtEmporium.

This non-working vintage rotary phone in pink is a cool find from Etsy seller TheNewtonLabel.

- Jackie

Item: Dandelion Tote
Seller: MarigoldandSage

This Etsy shop (called MarigoldandSage) has a wide variety of items listed – from baby shoes to wallets. I am most drawn to this seller’s great selection of bags.

My favorite is the everyday tote in dandelion and gray, which is selling for $35.00.  Check out some other favorites of mine from this shop:

- Jackie

Item: Waltham Butternut Squash Seeds
Seller: TheLittleRagamuffin

I’ve started to really enjoy cooking, but I’ve never been one to develop a great recipe.  More like a recipe thief, really.

However… the day has come that I think I have a recipe that I have tweaked enough to call my own! Here’s the skinny:

Butternut Squash Ravioli

Ingredients:

Directions:

In a medium sauce pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter.  Add 6 tablespoons of shallots and saute for 2-3 minutes.  Add the 15 oz. can of canned butternut squash. Cook for 4-5 minutes.

Next, season the ravioli mixture with salt, pepper, and sage.  Then add your dairy – 3 tablespoons of Greek yogurt and 3 tablespoons of lowfat milk.  Cook for 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in 6 tablespoons of cheese.  Let cool for awhile – you’re going to be handling the mixture for the ravioli making.  This batch usually makes about 6 servings for me, so I store what I’m not using in the fridge for when I’m ready to whip up a quick lunch.

Once the filling has cooled down, grab an egg roll wrapper.  Cut the wrapper in 1/2 and put a dollop of the filling in the upper half of the wrapper.  Put a small around of water around the edges, as this will seal the deal.  Fold the bottom 1/2 of your egg roll wrapper up and seal using a fork.

Psst… If you’re totally confused, here’s a pretty good visual I found on YouTube. They make triangles, I make squares.  

Next, coat your ravioli in flour (I use Arrowhead organic spelt). This makes it so they won’t stick together as easily in your boiling water.

Add the ravioli into a pot of boiling, salted water.  I don’t like to crowd them, so I usually only cook 4 at a time.  They cook quickly – they should be ready to fish out in about 3-5 minutes.

DONE!

Oh you fancy, huh? Here are some ideas to change the recipe:

- Add fresh sage vs. the spice rack variety.

- Whip out the pasta maker and use it to make authentic ravioli instead of the egg roll wrappers.

- Not worried about extra calories and fat? Use 6 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream vs. the Greek yogurt and lowfat milk mix. I only just stared using Greek yogurt thanks to a tip from a friend.

- Grab butternut squash from your produce section and bake it.  Then blend it with a touch of water to create your butternut squash puree for this recipe.  I used to do this but got lazy (and couldn’t taste a whole lot of difference using canned).

This recipe rocks! I have been eating variations non-stop for about 3 months now.  It’s sort of my favorite thing ever.

Try it out and let me know what you think!

- Jackie