Blog Giveaway!!!!

That's right kids, I'm giving stuff away!

I am going to randomly choose one of the followers on my blog on August 20th and they will receive a mini gift package. In that gift package will include a 1 ounce tin of my new Chocolate Covered Cherry Cream, a 2 ounce jar of one of my new Dead Sea Mud Masks, a few samples of my tea, a bag of bath salts, and a gift certificate for a free tarot reading!

Thats right, but you have to be a blog follower! So, go ahead and join, get your friends to join and split the loot! Spread the word, the random selection will be done (by the method of names in a hat) on August 20th at 9pm and the notice of the winner will follow!

Upcoming Redesign,Vacation, and August's Reading Sale

I just wanted to let you all know that I will be redesigning my shop, logos, etc. over the next week or so with the help of a talented Etsy Graphic Designer. I'm very excited about it and can't wait to see what she comes up with. I do love my red Buddha logo but I'm finding it difficult to print packaging because it is so bright and hard to work with. I'm very hopeful she will come up with something that really speaks to my desires for my shop. Once I have a design I'll let you all know!

Also, Thursday August 6th through Sunday August 9th I will be out of the state for my sister's wedding in Massachusetts and won't be able to respond to requests or e-mails until I return. I won't be closing the shop but all orders will be responded to when I return.

As for August's sale, I have whispered it to some of you, but I will let you know now that the Reading on sale for next month will be the Past Life Reading. I know I just did that reading not too long ago but I got a big response and requests for more. So, August 1st, this Saturday, my Past Life Reading will go from $25 to $18.

Feedback Hugs

There is not much that can rival waking up exhausted, having a rough commute to work, logging onto your Etsy account to find that someone left you positive feedback and said lovely things about the product. That immediate glow of happiness and joy...knowing that someone really likes something that you made with your own hands and put so much time and effort into! I just want to reach through cyberspace and give that person a giant hug!

Now, I appreciate the glowing feedback I get for my readings, trust me I do, but I've always felt as though I participate very little in the readings. I simply go through the motions and allow Energy and my spirit guide to choose the best possible cards for that person. Sure, I may decipher the meaning from it, type it up nice, and add a little of my own thoughts and suggestions to them, but overall I would say readings are a group effort.

The teas and other herbal products (some of which I'm still testing) are 99% me. I research them, I read about the herbs, I check sources to make sure I know what possible side-effects they may have for people, I mix them, brew them, taste them, test them, design them, and package them. While I completely accept that I have my spirit guide to thank for a lot of the success I've had so far with making my teas and products, her inspiration and gentle guidance still leaves me with the majority of the work.

So, the feedback I get from my readings, while it lifts my spirits and has the double blessing of showing others that I'm not some internet fraud, is wonderful I have to admit that getting great feedback for my teas just makes my week! So don't forget to leave great feedback for others! Tip your waitresses!

Independence Day Donation!!

I know what you are thinking, "donation?"

In honor of Independence Day here in the states, for 24 hours I will be donating 50% of the price of every tarot reading sold to my favorite childhood cancer charity, CandleLighters. Not only will a huge portion be given to charity, but I will be offering FREE SHIPPING (within the US) for any tea or herbal product!

For those that aren't familiar, Candlelighters is a wonderful charitable organization that focuses on children battling cancer. While I was not a child when I went through my own cancer scare (remind me to show you the scar some day), I can see what kind of an affect it had on friends of ours. Their sweet daughter was diagnosed with cancer very young and they struggled to keep their family afloat through the treatments, the loss of employment, and the almost-loss of their home. What was stopping them from getting their daughter the treatment that would save her was $$$. Their insurance wouldn't pay for experimental treatments. Gotta love that insurance! So now they struggle, deep in debt, to rebuild their family day by day. It is their constant struggle and their love that inspires me to earmark all my donations for the financial support of families who are battling their own wars with cancer.

So, starting at 12am Saturday morning, July 4th, until 11:59pm I will be donating 50% of each purchase of a tarot reading to Candlelighters.

So, buy a Celtic Cross Reading and $11 will be given to charity, buy a Career Circle Reading and $10 will be given to charity, buy a Past Life reading for you and two for your friends and $37.50 will be given to charity...you see where I'm going with this?

Working for the Weekend

Yay! I know it's only Thursday but that means the weekend is almost here. While I am slightly saddened that my honey will be leaving Saturday morning for a week in Tokyo, I am happy to have the place to myself so I can lock myself in my little herb dungeon and mix some fun stuff! The only down side is that she is taking our digital camera with her. Ack! Luckily I have a photographer friend who has about a dozen different cameras and I might be able to convince him to lend me his. Fingers crossed!!

So, things I will be working on this weekend:

- 3 new herbal teas (man, that rooibos tea I got is phenominal!)

- 3 new herbal bath teas (I get to try them out! woohoo!)

- 1 or two new tarot card readings

- 1 prayer shawl which may be done by next weekend

- Creating my brand, logo, and trying to get my printer to work right, urg!

In fact, I have a little cash in my PayPal account so I may make another purchase or five. Stop me, I'm mad about herbs!

New Item!!!

Well, I got a lot of convo's on Etsy about offering some kind of yearly spread and so I did. I'm not a huge fan of them myself but I know a lot of other people are. So, here is the link to the newest spread! I will, as mentioned in the listing, offer shorter period spreads if someone wants but you'll have to convo me so I can create a special reserved purchase for you.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22150591

After many requests I have decided to offer up the “Yearly Checkup” reading on Etsy. This reading will let you know what your year is going to look like, month by month, in general terms. It won’t tell you that your car’s radiator will need to be replaced in September, but it may tell you that September you will have problems with transportation and that a lot of money may be spent unexpectedly. This spread is also slightly different in that I can construct it in such a way that it will give divinations for certain parts of your life, depending on what you request. What are those parts of your life?

Health
Work
Romance
Spirituality
Family

If you choose to have the reading focus on one of these aspects of your life the reading will be more specific, if not the reading may touch a little on each or on one more than others depending on how the cards read. One important thing to be aware of when purchasing a reading that is almost completely about future events is that with every choice we make we change our future. Those who go about life in a way where they let external forces rule their lives will tend to stay true to the same path throughout the year. Those who choose to have spirit lead them and move them through life may change directions several times a year as the mind struggles to accept where they are led. If you want a reading for a shorter period of time I am happy to oblige. I can do readings for 3 months out ($8), 5 months out ($10), and 8 months out ($12). Please convo me and let me know and I will create a special purchase for you.

Snow, Snow Everywhere!

What a beautiful, frustrating morning! We got a little winter snow fall overnight and, of course, DC has practically shut down. We had about 5-6 inches where I live, about 4 inches where I work, so getting to work was a tad harrowing. My poor little Honda Fit, I don't quite trust it on the snow and really don't want to have 2 fender benders within the first year of having it. Not that I can't drive in the snow..I grew up in New England...I just know for a fact no one here in the DC Metro area knows how to drive in the snow...or the rain, or fog, or bright sunny day.

So this morning I woke up and watched the snow fall as I sipped my coffee and listened to the school delays. I don't have children yet but I just love hearing them read out loud and remember that anticipation and absolute giddiness when you hear your own school called.

So after an hour of coffee sipping and snow watching I showered, dressed, and trudged out to the bus stop across the street from my apartment. 30 minutes later and no bus in sight. I let a few more minutes go by and trudge back upstairs to dry off, use the ladies room, and check that the buses are running on their website. I get inside to discover that my office is opening late. Great, because I'm going to be REALLY late. I get dried off, run back downstairs, and get to the stop just in time to catch a bus. An hour and a half later I arrive at work so another piping hot cup of coffee with real cream. Mmmmmmm.

Tonight I have to work on another Past Life Reading. I really do love those, so much fun and very educational for me. Its very interesting to see how people take things from one life and bring them into another, the lessons they have learned, the problems they didn't face, the fears they didn't conquer, even the personality traits.

I think I'll also start thinking about, and maybe even putting together an outline for, a monthly newsletter about the metaphysical. My partner and I would really like to crew this year's 3-Day breast cancer walk but the minimum donation is in the $1k's and that's hard to come up with. Perhaps I'll ask for a donation of $15 for a year's worth of monthly newsletters. Would that be something you would be interested in? Each month would have information about a tarot card, that month's horoscope, some kind of metaphysical practice or book, or movie, or event going on. Then all the donations (minus the lovely fees from Etsy and PayPal) would go towards the crewing donation fees. Hmmm, I'll have to put the old thinking cap on for this one. I'll have to find the cap first. Yikes!

To Bath Tea or Not To Bath Tea

I've been trying to think of things I can make for my Etsy store that will give me a lot of enjoyment and that people may enjoy. As a novice herbalist I am enthralled with the amazing powers of natural products, herbs, spices, etc. and would love to use them in so much more ways. One way I was contemplating was in teas and bath teas. My only concern was that it takes a good chunk of money to purchase the products as I'd want to purchase them in bulk to save money.

I know where I can find the product I'll need and at reasonable prices, but I see a lot of other sellers on Etsy and in looking at how much they are selling their products for I'm not sure it would be worth it financially. Also, in my creative fervor I would need to make the packaging as cute as possible, and to do that would take even more of an investment.

So I'm putting this question out to the two people who apparently read my blog (and neither is my mother as she'd have a heart-attack if she knew her daughter was giving tarot readings). Here goes...and feel free to leave comments!

Bath Tea: Using Dead Sea Salt and various organic and fair-trade herbs I will make incredibly healing and yummy smelling Bath Teas (Bath Salts). Included with the tea itself will be a reusable unbleached muslin bag with drawstring. The tea will come in a cute 4 oz. aluminum tin with a label on top relating the tea/salt to a vibrant classic painting, along with instructions on the bottom of the tin for use, storage, etc. The 4 oz. of tea/salt is enough to make 8 luxurious baths. The teas/salts will all be made with the purpose and ingredient base of healing various ailments from insomnia, eczema, headaches, infertility, depression, etc and would be very relaxing or invigorating depending on your need. Now, in order to sell this and make enough profit to pay for supplies to replace it and possibly half the supplies for a second, I would have to charge about $9. That would break down to a little more than $1 a bath.

Now the big question....is this something that you would buy?

Very Nice Weekend

Well, this weekend my partner and I were celebrating both our 3rd year together as well as Valentine's Day. We just finished out 21 day cleanse and wanted to celebrate with dinner at our favorite restaurant, The Little Fountain Cafe, and a lovely Kimpton Hotel, the Topaz Hotel. The night really was wonderful.

J had the duck which was large and infused with a smokey flavor. I had the stuffed quail and was a tad disappointed. The quail was quite tiny with very little meat. The salad and appetizers were lovely and we had our favorite wine, Zenato Pinot Grigio. We walked the mile there from our hotel and then walked the mile back.

The hotel was amazing! Filled with bright colors, dots and stripes, funky furniture and great ambiance! The bed was SOOOOO comfortable! What made the night, for J at least, was that they had "Twilight" on Pay-per-view. So we watched that and then our espresso drinks from desert hit us and we were up until 3am. Got home at 9am and I was passed out for a glorious nap by 2:00pm. It was one of those "dead to the world" sleeps where nothing aside from a bomb exploding in the room would wake you.

On Sunday I was able to finish up my latest Etsy venture, a crocheted tarot card/rune pocket. It turned out very cute and I love the button. I'm hoping my camera starts working better as it didn't really want to focus much. I put it online, so wish me luck! I started another one last night as well, made it a little different and will probably finish it up this week. I want to get at least one piece of jewelry up this week as well. I don't like the fact that all I'm offering on the site is readings, that wasn't my intention.

Well, take a look at some of the pics of the new pocket!