Shop Update

I’ve had a lot of people ask me recently if I’m keeping La Petite Vie open. Yes! I’m attempting to juggle teaching kindergarten, being a patient and mindful Mama, AND making soap. I know this sounds crazy, but I really love what I’ve created with La Petite Vie and want to continue. Plus, it helps me take care of myself – I’m surrounded by bath products. 🙂 Keeping all that in mind, I would shop early for the holidays. If its as busy as it was last year, I won’t be able to rush orders.

New scents in the shop:

The fresh scent of ginger is balanced in an original blend of essential oils to create a woody, sweet, spicy scent that men and women love.

Gravity was so named for it’s sweet heady rose scent that is grounded by woody vetivers and cedarwood oils. Just when you start to lose yourself in the floralness of this soap, the earthy base notes bring you back to reality. And, it’s on sale right now!

After making the Little Bee Balm, one of the shop owners I work with suggested I make the balm in her favorite scent (and one of my best selling soaps): lemongrass rosemary. Applying these balms is a daily ritual I love and I can’t get enough of this one. The lemongrass rosemary balm will be popular, I’m sure.

Enjoy!

 

 

Etsy Shop Love: Alice Nightingale

Vintage-inspired Alice Nightengale’s shop is full of gorgeous clothes that I would love to own. The shop photography is inspiring as well. Sometimes I feel like I was born in the wrong decade (70’s? Really? So not my style) and shopping in Alice Nightingale confirms it.

The Maude Dress is the first item I saw, through twitter, and I was quickly smitten with the shop. This photo reminds me of Funny Face, so of course, I love it.

This adorable watercolor purse is so cheery! Just perfect for the fall, yes?

I can’t tell you how nice it is to have a winter coat you love. You practically live in it and its so nice to get compliments on something that is covering up the rest of your clothes. The silhouette of the Nancy Winter coat is flattering and the Peter Pan collar is so sweet.

The June blouse is paired perfectly with the Belle skirt in this photo. I’m not sure if I could pull off quite so glamorous a look in a rowboat, but maybe for a summer date night?

Be sure to check out their swimwear – the watercolor apple print appears again! What do you think? Could you pull off these vintage looks in your everyday life?

All photos by Alice Nightingale – click to visit.

La Petite Vie’s new website

John has been hard at work creating a lovely little website for me.

It’s a hub for everything La Petite Vie. You can find links to my shop, blog, twitter, facebook, and read detailed information about the shop. I’d love to hear what you think of it!

I am also excited to announce that I have added soy candles to the shop as well! The popular and beautiful Fresh scent is available now. I will be adding more scents in the near future. (Any requests?) My friend, Lynn, made these adorable letterpress tags for the candles. Aren’t they sweet?

I made this addictive little bee balm in the Fresh scent for Satsuma Press’ shop. You’ll just love it, I promise!

photo of little bee balm by Satsuma Press

Etsy Shop Love: Sara Carr

Sara Carr knits adorable plush friends and accessories for kids. I mean, how cute would my girls be in this scarf on the first day of school?

Lambswool Red Pencil Scarf

These charming little bunnies are just the sweetest! They’re stuffed with lavender, so they are a calming addition to a bedtime routine. The details on these made-to-order friends like the signature tag are so thoughtful.

Boris and Betty

The fox and squirrel are just ridiculously cute as well.

Large Monty the Fox

Stanley the Squirrel

I love all these little guys! Go support Sara Carr and her cute plush world across the pond.

All photos by Sara Carr. Click on photos to visit shop.

Etsy Shop Love: Julia Paul Pottery

Lately I’ve been attracted to the thick warm texture of pottery. Each piece is unique and not quite perfect and the process to make it is fascinating. I love the modern take on this old art form. Julia Paul has perfected this. Living in a small house requires that everything have a purpose, but that can also means most of our things are on display as well. I want our world to be functional and beautiful. I would love to use and look at Julia Paul’s pottery in my little world.

I’m in love with the colors and form of this creamer.

And wouldn’t my morning coffee and afternoon tea be perfect in these cups?

I love the raw clay grounding these bowls.

These vases would be beautiful holding potted plants.

There is color in the shop too, but I am drawn to all white these days. I like the calmness, purity, brightness of it.

All photos by Julia Paul. Click for links.

New soap scents

I was wonderfully overwhelmed with holiday shoppers this season. I sold out of almost all my soap and have been busily restocking and impatiently waiting for soap to cure.

Clove+nutmeg is a complex spicy soap. I love it. It’s warming and cozy with a hint of sexy thrown in. Its contains ground oatmeal to exfoliate and soften your skin as you suds up.

After making a log of lavender soap for a local lavender farm this summer, I had multiple requests to make a lavender bar for my shop. It’s extra beautiful with the home grown lavender buds on top of this soap. I think it would make a lovely gift.

I have several other scents in stock and am always available for a custom log of soap. (I’ve sold a bunch of these lately!) As always, these soaps are organic and vegan and when you buy a bar, I give a bar to my local shelter. Due to supply costs, I will be raising the price of a bar of soap on Mar. 1 to $6. Order in the next few days to save with the current price and stock up on soap for your family and gifts for upcoming occasions.

Valentines Day Ideas

We are excitedly preparing for Valentine’s Day in our house. It is such a heartwarming holiday with little kids. Some parts of Halloween are a bit too scary, Christmas is fun, but exhausting (and so commercial!) for me. Valentine’s Day might be my new favorite holiday.

I humbly suggest a few items available in my shop that would perfect for teachers,  sweethearts, children, and yourself!

Perfume is a traditional Valentines gift and this one travels well for reapplication. It is floral and a tiny bit spicy. It moisturizes well and I use it as a balm for my hands at times also.

This linen spray will scent pillows, towels, sheets, and more in a favorite sensual scent. It’s an unexpected and much appreciated gift.

Choose a sustainable, long-lasting rose – Rose lip balm. Make those lips kissable!

Of course, you can always add a gift certificate so your special someone can purchase exactly what they have their eyes on. Contact me to choose a different amount to give.

Spoil the people you love!

xo

Etsy Shop Love: Barnacle Bags

I’ve kind of been on a mission lately to find an attractive but practical bag. It’s harder than it seems to find. I need something big enough for a pack of wipes, but not too big that it will overwhelm my little self, it has to go on my shoulders – no hands free here, but still look cute when I get a night out with friends or John. No small feat.

Barnacle Bags has lots of choices.

Waxed Canvas Rucksack

I love the ease of a rucksack. I can still use my hands to help little people walk through parking lots or hold a cup of coffee. This one is stylish and practical. I love the red stripes.

Waxed Canvas Tote

I feel like I could put my whole world in this tote – swimsuits in the summertime, knitting in the winter, a change of clothes and extra diaper when the little one decides to start potty training…

Waxed Canvas Messenger Bag

I do love the practicality of a messenger bag. I use one daily and it is so easy to throw over my shoulder and still easily dig out my phone or keys. This one is roomy enough for a laptop, has pockets, AND sunny yellow polka-dot interior. Swoon.

Waxed Canvas Pouch

I always carry a pouch in my bag. I put all my stuff in it and can easily transfer it from one bag to another. My bags are always full of kid stuff, and pouches enable me to put my hands on exactly what I need quickly.

There is a beautiful blog as well.

xo

Fall Craft Shows

We’re busy little worker bees. The kitchen counters are being taken over by lip balms that are cooling, salt scrubs mixing, my desk is covered in labels, and I’m hopped up on caffeine.

I’m so excited to share new products at craft shows. I get such helpful feedback from people. I have a bunch of new goodies to bring this season – new scents, old favorites, and some brand new products.

I’d love to see you!

Sat. Nov. 17th 9am-3pm Holiday Bazaar at Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship Church, Corvallis, OR

Fri, Nov. 30th 4:30pm-7:30pm Trunk Show at Irenes’ Boutique (First 30 people there will get a free chocolate mint lip balm!)

If you aren’t local, you can always shop online. I’m posting new products as quickly as I can and will keep updating the site through the shopping season.

Etsy Shop Love: ybryksenkova

Yelena Bryksenkova is a Brooklyn artist who creates calming ethereal paintings. We are getting settled in our new home, planning paint colors, and arrangement of furniture, but we haven’t quite figured out our wall art situation yet. Yelena’s prints could belong in any of our rooms and I love the idea of a few of them framed next to each other on our walls.

I love the colors, the grays, greens, and blues with just a touch of brown and red to ground them that she uses throughout her paintings. I love the modern folk art feeling as well.

The elephant cats are charming. I wish I could jump right in with a warm cup of tea and a book.

All the prints are very reasonably priced. What a lovely gifts these prints would make! Be sure to check out her fairytale postcard collection while you’re dreaming in her shop.

I hope everyone stays safe and dry from the hurricane! I’ve been through four, and they’re not fun. xo

All images courtesy of Yelena Bryksenkova. Click on photos to visit her shop.

P.S. Be sure to enter my random act of kindness giveaway on facebook.