My Week So Far: It's a Batty Life

I was super excited when this clock arrive this week! I may not fit in with the rest of the halloween decor around here but the pink does match the halloween lights we have in the living room! I also had some funky thread arrive! A few new t-shirts, 2 sweaters, and a great dress! I was hoping to have pictures to show you BUT I encountered some problems with the wireless remote I ordered for my camera! It arrived well and good but it didn't have the right cord for my camera! I hunted down and ordered the correct cord and am hoping it arrives soon! It's so frustrating to have a fun new gadget for my camera ant not be able to use it!

I've been having a bad health week. My AS is flaring up (my hips have been pinching which is the first symptom before they start to give out. When it gets really bad, I can't walk). I've been trying to get a lot of work done but have been slowed down by not getting much sleep (the pain is keeping me up), but being too out of it to get much done (hello pain killers)! Near the end of this week my hips gradually started to feel better although not 100%. I needed to dye my roots so I figured fixing up my locks would put me in a better mood. As you can see from the above picture on the left, my roots were getting LONG! The top picture on the right was after I put bleach in. The bottom picture is after 2 hours of bleaching! I wanted to be able to show you what my hair looked like after the color was done but as I write this post, I still have the color doing it's thing with a shower cap on top haha. It's been in for almost 24 hours now. I always keep it in for at least that long - that way it doesn't wash or fade out - it lasts until it's time to do my roots. Oh, and just bleached my roots and then twisted all my hair up into a big bun on the top of my head. That's how the rest of my hair got mostly bleached out :) So wondering what color(s) I'm dying my hair this time? Well all I'll show you for now is what it looks like right now:

• I have a few home party openings available! As I write this post I have 1 opening in April, 2 in May, and 2 in June. If you'd like more info about home parties or would like to book one, just shoot me an email: jamiesabot@gmail.com

• Green Thumbs Hand Cream has arrived! It's part of the spring line :)

My Week So Far: It's a Batty Life

The week has gone by SOOO fast since I posted my last personal update (this happens every thursday on the blog)! I was at the Covent Garden Market on Friday and Saturday (HUGE thanks to everyone who stopped by!). Sunday was a whirlwind of deliveries and a round trip to my parents place and back. And then another week started!

(pst - that awesome Batty shirt was a gift from Weezi!)

I got a super awesome surprise on Friday night! Drew got me an iphone!! I've been wanting one for a really long time but could never justify getting one. I was so stoked when Drew gave it to me - with a pink cover an all!!! Weeee :) It definitely kept me entertained during the slow periods at the market. I'm loving it SOO much better than the blackberry I had before. What can I say? Apple products rule the world ;)

I did my nails on Thursday night - I rarely do them because they always chip so fast! I hate spending the time to paint them if they are just going to chip an hour later, ya know? Anyways, I heard about these awesome "salon effects" nail decoration applications and I had to try them! Usually I just wear fake nails if I'm going to "do my nails" because they don't chip and last almost two weeks. I'm pretty impressed with these salon effects so far though! They are supposed to last 10 days and so far they are holding up pretty good! The picture definitely doesn't do they justice, but trust me, they are super glittery & glam!

We had a blizzard here on Friday (which definitely slowed down traffic for me at the market). One of our poor trees cracked right in half! It doesn't look that big in the picture but it's actually pretty huge! This is it taking up the length our whole back yard!

Since Noel was on the blog last week I didn't want to leave my other doggies out! I tried to get a few pictures of them today but didn't come up with anything too grand lol. Oh, and Noel is such a ham that she tried to get into as many pictures as she could! Here's Noel and Sassy (aka Honey Bear, or Houndy Hound)! If the weather stays so mild, Sassy's sweater will come off - which is always a big ordeal because she gets so attached to it over the winter months that we have to make sure she doesn't think she's getting in trouble when we take her sweater off. We usually have to leave it in her bed with her for a week or so while she adjusts!

This is the best shot I could get of Princess. Princess doesn't like looking at the camera and when ever I try to take her picture, she sees it as the perfect time to cuddle! hehe. She's definitely the biggest snuggle bug we have. You could cuddle her all day and she'd still want more! She did some humane education with me (going into school and community groups to teach kids about animal welfare & care issues) and even after a full day of little kids flopping on her, hugging her, and playing with her "whooo hair" (all that crazy hair between her toes), she still tried to follow the kids when they left with their parents! haha. She LOVES kids and I can tell she definitely misses "working".

I had to include this picture because they both look hilarious! lol! Sassy falling asleep in the background and Noel with her ears back so far it looks like she doesn't even have ears!!

I've had a pretty sever flare up of fatigue since the weekend. This is pretty normal after my monthly market visit but it sure is a good reminder of why I've cut back on the number of shows I'm doing for 2011. I got a little over 12 hours of sleep on Sunday night (that's the norm for me), Monday I wasn't up for long and ended up sleeping again in the afternoon and then went back to bed in the middle of the night some time. Tuesday I slept until Wed! Yup, just over 24 hours worth of sleep... got up for about 8 hours yesterday (groggy & exhausted the whole time), and went back to bed before 9pm. I slept until about 10am this morning. I'm still pretty tried too! I have a few things that must get done before I run out of steam again like packing orders and soaking in the tub. Hopefully next week will be much more productive and I wont need so much sleep. I'll have to play it by ear though. This is just the way I have to live to manage my AS & fibro - it's about listening to my body and resting when I need to. And as you can see, this week was all about "needing to"!

p.s. I upload pictures that don't make it to the blog on flickr.

• Deodorants are now back in stock
• Mineral Makeup Concealing Powder is back in stock
• Work continues on mineral makeup foundation!
• Body Balm is available in both shops
• New testimonials have been added at battysbath.com

My Week So Far: It's a Batty Life

I'm starting a new blog routine on Thursdays & Fridays!

Thursdays will now be a personal update called

"my week so far" which will also include what's new at

Batty's Bath. Fridays will be my round up of weekly

favs from around the web such as pictures, links, resources, etc!

This week has gone by so fast! I'm on nights, as usual, and am starting to feel better. I was recently caught in a flare up that just didn't want to simmer down! It's finally calming down - just in time for me to provoke one again lol. How am I going to provoke one? Well, I'm at the Covent Garden Market on Friday and Saturday which means I have to switch to "days" and will have to stay up on Friday morning instead of going to bed to accomplish the switch... 24 hours of staying up straight here I come :(

Earlier this week while I was taking product pictures for the online shops, Noel decided to be a ham and sat right beside the lightbox haha. I couldn't help but snap a few photos of her!

Isn't she cute?? :) In the second picture it looks like she's saying "just stop working and cuddle me!!" lol! Don't worry, she got lots of cuddles when I was done :)

I'm also so excited about ordering a wireless remote for my DSLR! I have no idea why I didn't do this sooner because I've wanted one for years but just never got around to ordering one! It's already been shipped and if I'm lucky I'll be able to use it for the next Thursday update! :)

I also did a bit of personal shopping on Ebay & Etsy which is almost unheard of for me! Usually the only thing I ever shop for is supplies and ingredients for Batty's Bath! It was a nice treat and I scored some great clothing finds including some super warm and fun tights! I'll be sure to share some pictures of my finds when they come in!

One of the shirts I got was this awesome tee from battypotatty:

We also made a lot of head way on the wedding planning over the past week! The most exciting news is that my uncle is going to marry us!!!

Plus, my wedding shoes came in:

And.... Drew and I went and picked out the tuxes for the guys - they are going to look great! Two of my bridesmaids came over and helped me cut out the "parts" of our save the dates and then Drew and I finished "putting them together" this week! I really want to share a picture of the save the dates with you but I don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone! Once we've sent them and everyone has had time to receive them, I'll share a picture :)

In hair news, my hair is blue now (with some green on the sides)! It started out as purple when I dyed it recently (I actually used purple dye!) but it has gone blue again! I definitely like this color but I was hoping for a pretty purple. In some light it does look purple, and when I did it this color a while ago, it faded to purple... so perhaps it will be purple in a couple of weeks. Who am I kidding, I'll dye it again before that! I plan to put some hot pink back into my hair. It will be underneath at the back, like usual, but first I need to do my roots. I can't bleach them until a cut on my head heels up (long story!), which will hopefully be next week! Oh, and what's with my green face? I'm wearing my dry clay mask! haha. This was right after recording the how to video.

• New Download: The Facial Rescue Kit How to Guide
• New Video: Dry Clay Mask How To ...plus how to get full coverage with Batty's mineral makeup concealing powder
• New Release: Facial Scrub - Unscented
• New Release: Facial Scrub - Tea Tree
• New Release: Solid Lotion Sticks
• New Release: Spring Cold Press Soap: Cranberry Orange
• New Release: Spring Glycerin Soap: Baby Duckies!
• New Release: Dead Sea Salt Skin Therapy Cold Press Soap
• New Release: Lemongrass Bath Bombs
• New Release: Oatmeal, Milk & Honey Bath Bombs
• New Release: Hair Therapy Serum

Spring Inspiration Board

Many of you know that I've been searching for inspiration for my new spring line. The one thing I love about being a soap maker is that I get to create new seasonal items all the time! I get to gear up for each holiday and season in extremely creative ways! I couldn't ask for a better job :) Today I wanted to share one of the inspiration boards I've created during my "spring research". I've got a lot of ideas floating around in my head and I'll have to narrow them down shortly so I can get to work. The only complaint I have about gearing up for each season and holiday is that I never feel like I have enough time to create every idea I come up with. I suppose if that's the only complaint I have, that's pretty good! After all, I can always save any ideas that don't make it into this year's line for next year :)

Photo Credits: 1. Run with me., 2. My radio, 3. Untitled, 4. Pink Vanilla Meringue

Batty's Bath is 1 Year Old! Thanks for making it happen!

Weezi's Recap of the Birthday Bash for Batty's Bath!

There's a whole write up on the Weezi blog :)

Feb marks the first anniversary of Batty's Bath and I couldn't have been happier celebrating with so many friends! Thanks for your support everyone :D

Click here to head over to Weezi's blog for the full write up :)

A New Splash of Hair Color

A New Splash of Hair Color, originally uploaded by She's Batty.

... to brighten up the dull winter days!

Where the Name "Batty's Bath" Came From

From time to time I get asked where the name "Batty's Bath" came from. There isn't any huge epic story behind it, but it does hold some sentimental meaning to me.

The nickname "Batty" was born long before Batty's Bath came along. The nickname sprouted up around the same time I was touring the craft circuit as a paper artist. I stood out from many of the crafters as the "bubbly goth girl" - something many of them had a hard time understanding as few of them had ever seen a "happy goth" before, let alone any that were actually selling their crafts in church basements! ha! In many ways, I don't really consider myself to be a "goth" in the true sense of the word. Sure, I love halloween, most of my wardrobe is black, and I have more than a small obsession with dark culture... but, you'll also catch me in a gingerbread apron around the holidays, my hair dyed multiple bright colors, and I never was really into the whole vampire thing. However, I'm sure to the untrained eye, on any given day, I could be mistaken for a goth - I am, after all, a creature of the night ;) ... a hem.. by that I mean I work at night and sleep during the day :)

Out of this odd period in my life, along with my obsession for Halloween (therefore needing SOMETHING halloween-ish in a nickname), came the nickname "Batty". Batty is also a loose spin off of a phrase I heard one too many times from my brother-in-law, "Crazy Aunt Jamie".

Soon the internet knew me as "Batty". Shortly thereafter, I started creating my designs under the business name "She's Batty Designs". After several years of part time crafting it was time to lay She's Batty Designs to rest. The business name Batty's Bath was a natural extension of the world of "Batty" that many had come to know.

Now you'll often hear people call me Batty in person as naturally as saying my real name, Jamie. I also answer and introduce myself as "Batty" as often as I do as Jamie! Batty has somewhat turned into more than just a nickname but almost an alter-ego. I'm generally a shy, private person, but being "Batty" offline means hiding under the craft table and sleeping during the day doesn't "fly" (ha! batty.. bat.. fly... get it?.. ok, it sounded better in head!). Being Batty offline means I need to be awake when everyone else is to attend shows ready to meet and chat with people I don't even know (something that seems so much more natural to me on the internet). Although "Being Batty" has pushed me out of my comfort zone, it has actually been very good for me! I've met a lot of great people - many of which I call my close friends - both on and offline, and if it wasn't for having to be much more than a wallflower, I would have never formed relationships with these people, or continued to meet great people each and every time I'm out in the community.

So there you have it. That's where the name "Batty's Bath" came from, plus a little peak into the evolution of Batty the online personality, to the "real offline batty". Yes - they aren't yet one in the same because I'm still much more Jamie than I am Batty... meaning that I'm still much more shy and private than I am outgoing and open - but I'm getting there. :)

Studio Update

Studio Update, originally uploaded by She's Batty.

A pic of me working earlier. I've been so busy that the studio has been my second home for the past few months.

I have to apologize for the lack of updates on the blog! I haven't had time to cook up some interesting content because I've been so busy! I thought I should update everyone as I predict that things wont slow down for me until January.

Many of you know that I have Ankylosing Spondylitis and Fibromyalgia. I mention this because as I get busier, my flare ups become more frequent and intense. Right now I'm on a loop of recovering, restocking, doing a show (read: provoking a flare up), and starting all over again - recovering, restocking, show.

As you can imagine that the recovery step takes more time every time the loop cycles. Right now I have an average of 3-4 shows/home parties per week plus restocking in between and managing my online shop. As the recovery process takes longer, the less stock I have at each show, and the more stressed out I become - After all, I want to make sure everyone has all the pampering goodies they are looking for!

Things are certainly a whirlwind right now and I'm so thankful that my little business is doing so well! I'm also thankful that things should slow down and get back to normal in the new year. Being super busy with orders is amazing, but not when my health suffers because of it. I've already figured out a few things to do differently in the new year to make things more balanced. I have to look after my health first and foremost otherwise not only will I burn out, but nobody will get to enjoy my batty creations!

In the new year, I'll reduce the amount of shows I do by half - yup, you read that right, I said half! I feel that since local supporters can order from my online shop (with free delivery), book a home party, or shop at Weezi's 6 days a week, this shouldn't impact regular local customers too much (at least this is my hope). I still plan to be at the Covent Garden Market once a month, so no worries there for all the wonderful people that come out every time I'm there! I've decided to reduce the number of shows I book because this decrease will give me more time to fill orders, connect with customers, and take care of my health without taking away from the needs of my business.

Please accept my apology for the lack of updates and interactions. I'm really trying to make sure everyone who wants Batty's Bath goodies for the holidays has them - thankfully, due to all your support - that's a tall order to fill :) I'm sure since your bathrooms are smelling great, your skin is smooth, and your hair is looking great you don't mind the lack of interesting blog content ;) hehe.

Thanks again for all your support everyone! The blog will get back to "normal" as I have time, and if there's anything you'd like to see here (content and subject matter wise), don't hesitate to late me know. The blog survey is still a a great way to have your voice heard!

Happy Holidays everyone!
Be well :)

Peppermint Sick Trick

In this video I share one of the tricks I've picked up during a previous flare up. I have Ankylosing Spondylitis as well as Fibromyalgia and have learned main ways to coping during a flare up of symptoms. In this video I share with you one of my tricks for dealing with a flare up of extreme fatigue caused by Fibro.



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*~*~*~* Helpful Links & Links Mentioned in the Video*~*~*~*



Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS):

http://battysbath.blogspot.com/2010/0...



Fibromyalgia:

http://battysbath.blogspot.com/2010/0...



Batty's Bath on Etsy - http://battysbath.etsy.com

Where to get the product I mentioned in this video



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*~*~*~* Sound Clips in this Video Are From: *~*~*~*



Rodney Atkins - If You're Going Through Hell

Leona Lewis - Whatever it Takes

Taylor Swift - Fearless

Spreading the Word about AS

The Video Above: An overview of Ankylosing Spondylitis (one of the 2 diseases I have) and the nonprofit, Spondylitis Association of America. The video includes personal stories of those with AS.

You'll notice that a lot of people had pain for years before being diagnosed. My symptoms started at age 12 and wasn't diagnosed until I was 23 years old. At that time I was told that I had sever erosion in my hips and now, without a weekly needle and constant pain medication I can't walk or even get out of bed.

I'm posting these videos in hopes that it wont EVER take that long for anyone else to be diagnosed if people continue to spread the word about AS. There shouldn't have be so much damage and so many years of pain before people get help! Please share these videos on twitter or facebook if you can. Thanks for your help!

Video Below: An quick over view of the areas most effected by AS

Batty's Bath Tub Essentials

Many of you know that soaking in the tub is part of my health regiment. I'm still hoping for a hot tub right in our living room (haha), but for now the good old tub is working just fine. Over the last few years I've really "perfected" my baths to be a relaxing and healing time for me - both physically and mentally - and there are a few things I can't bathe without. Here are my bath tub essentials!

1) A Good Book

Without a good book to read I can't sit in the tub for very long because my mind starts racing with all the things I should, could, or would do if I wasn't having to soak my bones! One of the ways that I help myself feel "productive" in the tub is to read. I usually read anything I can get my hands on, but when I'm in a really bad flare up, I need more than a few newspaper articles to keep me soaking. Right now I'm reading a book that one of my best friends got me for Christmas called "Z.E.O: How to get a(head) in Business" (A zombie's guide to getting a(head) in business). Obviously it's a light read and not all that productive, but nonetheless, it keeps me entertained! I've also got the Zen of Zombie book too! If anyone has any suggestions for good handmade business related books when I decide to actually get some productive reading done, let me know :) I'm always on the hunt for something new to add to my bath tub library hehe.

2) Epsom Salts

Epsom Salt is said to have anti-inflammatory properties and when it is absorbed through the skin, such as in a bath, it draws toxins from the body, sedates the nervous system, reduces swelling and bruises and relaxes muscles - need I say anymore? If I'm using a bath bomb that isn't laced with epsom salts, I throw a handful in but if I'm using a bath tea instead, the epsom salt is already in the tea bag :)

3) Bath Bomb or Bath Tea

I make both bath bombs & bath teas and I couldn't have a bath without one of them! I decide on which to use depending on my mood and my body's particular needs at the time.

If my skin is feeling a bit dry (like in the winter), I use a bath bomb because mine are packed with olive oil that leave my skin feeling super soft. I also use a bath bomb if I'm extremely fatigued and can't even imagine having enough energy after a hot bath to moisturize.

If I feel like my soul needs a bit of nurturing I use a bath tea - lemongrass to lift my mood, peppermint to pick up my energy levels, or lavender to ease stress and promote a good sleep.

4) And Finally... a nice warm, fuzzy house coat to cuddle up in and my one-piece PJ's with built in butt flap to crawl into after I'm all dried off :) And no.. there wont be a pictures of these on the blog any time soon - I'll spare you all the horrors of me in my one-piece PJ's lol!!

Happy bathing :)

p.s. if I missed any of YOUR essentials, feel free to comment below :)

Batty's Clear Skin/Facial How To Video

After getting lots of questions about how I take care of my skin and keep my breakouts under control, I share exactly what products I use and how often.

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*~*~*~* Quick Recap of Batty's Bath Products *~*~*~*

Shea Butter Facial Soap
- daily cleanser

Patchouli Facial Moisturizer
- for combating major breakouts & skin problems

Facial Primer & Day Moisturizer
- make up primer & moisturizer for problem skin including breakouts, scars, and stretch marks

Clay Facial Mask
- concentrated with natural clays to reduce redness, breakouts, appearance of scars & stretch marks, as well as detox

Body Scrub
- exfoliate made with natural apricot shells.

Shampoo & Conditioner

- the handmade combo of these two products will calm any hair type and make your hair more manageable then you ever imagined!

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*~*~*~* Picking Soap Tip *~*~*~*

Dry Skin: use shea butter or olive oil
Norma to Oily Skin: use glycerin


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*~*~*~* Links Mentioned *~*~*~*

Batty's Bath - http://www.battysbath.com
Where to get all of the products I mentioned in this video

Blog Post - Difference Between Handmade and Commercial Soap
http://battysbath.blogspot.com/2010/06/is-there-really-difference-between.html

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Contact: battysbath@hotmail.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/battysbath
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/battysbath

Is There Really a Difference Between Handmade Soap and Commercial Soap?

There was a time when I wondered if there was much of a difference between handmade soap and commercially made soap. I knew the handmade stuff made my skin feel better but I wasn't sure why.

Now fast forward a few years to present day! I now know the answer to this question first hand because I make soap for a living! I didn't start out making it as a business. No no no no.. things started out much simpler than that. I started out making handmade soap that both my fiance and I could use without any irritations - rashes for him, dry itchy and cracked skin for me (my feet were the worse! ouch!). I quickly realized that there is a HUGE difference between the soap I was making, and the stuff we had used for so long from the department store! ... In fact, after learning about what we had been slathering on our skin for so long, I was amazed that we didn't have more problems!.. the skin sure can put up with a lot - the good news is it doesn't have to :)

Commercial soaps aren't actually "soap" - they are detergents. Detergents are made with stinky petroleum products and chemicals that are then heavily scented with perfumes (rather than fragrance oils or essential oils) to cover up the stink ... right away, this doesn't sound like what "soap" should be does it? If that wasn't bad enough many commercial "soaps" include animal fat (unused by-products that are obtained cheaply from the meat industry). If you're a vegan or vegetarian like I am, you've already decide that this is a bad thing, but for the meat eaters out there (like my fiance), you may be wondering why you need to worry about animal fats in "soap". The problem with this is that there are substances in this fat (beef tallow) that can't be broken down (saponify) and can cause skin irritations and break outs. Moreover, there has been a lot of controversy over the hormones, antibiotics, and other chemicals that these animals are subjected to that consequently end up on the dinner table - so shouldn't we also be concerned with these same chemicals ending up in our bath & body products that we rub all over our skin? I think so.

So now that you know a bit about what commercial "soap" (aka detergents) are, let's look at the handmade alternative! True soaps... like the handmade kind, are made with natural products, in my case, natural vegan products - glycerin, olive oil, shea butter, etc. All of the ingredients in true soaps are there for a reason; that means there's no fillers and no perfumes to cover up a stinky sorry excuse for soap lol! On the eco side of things, true soaps are made with very little energy, don't create by-products that fill up landfills and don't poison the earth with the suds that go down the drain. In fact, all those suds are biodegradable! There's no need to worry about true soap causing harm when they are made, while they are being used, and after they are gone down the drain!

One of my mottos that I try to live by is to tread lightly. Each day I work closer and closer to reducing any negative marks my fiance and I may be leaving on this planet. I truly feel blessed and accomplished to be able to make true soap for my friends and family as a way of life. If there's one thing you can do for me after reading this blog post, it's to tell someone else about what you've learned so we can all tread lightly together :)

Health Update

Hey everyone!

I hope everyone's week is off to a good start.. can you believe it's almost over? I guess long weekends will do that (for us Canadians). For those of you who are connected with my person FB page you may have seen my announcement about the status of my health yesterday. For those of you who didn't, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia yesterday - and for those of you who are keeping track that's on top of having Ankylosing Spondylitis. I'm really run down right now and still have a lot of commitments this week to attend to so my online time might be a bit sparse. Don't worry about me though! I'll get 'er done and be back to my bubbly self in no time!

..p.s. did anyone catch that soapy joke? lol.. I'm too funny ;)

Handmade Festival Wrap Up

Hey everyone!

I hope you all had a great weekend. We had a nice visit at my parents place today to celebrate Mother's Day (mmm ice cream cake!) and we even brought something special back with us - Shadow! He's my brother's dog and he'll be hanging out with my "girls" this week. So far he's settled in like he's lived here for years! He's already picked up a shift at the window (yes, they all seem to take a shift watching out the front window lol). He must be done his shift already because he's up on one of the couches right now catching some doggie Zzzz's :) hehe.

Many of you know the Handmade Festival was this weekend at the Central Library. It was a HUGE success for us! I can't believe how many people came down to see us and how much we sold! I'm going to be restocking all week which is awesome! The studio is going to be buzzing with activity almost non-stop. I'm was also so surprised to hear about how many of you are reading the blog, and following on Facebook and Twitter! I can't thank you enough! I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels like they are talking to themselves sometimes when publishing blog posts and status updates so THANK YOU to each one of you who let me know that you're listening and keeping up with my creative adventures, it truly means SO much to me! It was amazing to meet so many of you in person! The highlight of my day was this photo:

My fans made the day so much more than I could have asked for! It's one thing to feel the satisfaction of working for myself, doing something I love, being home to cuddle my dogs, be on my own time schedule to manage my disease, BUT to ALSO know that there are people out there that wholeheartedly support me and my handmade work makes all the hard work worthwhile! After receiving comments at the show as well as positive notes from

supporters since the Handmade Festival, I really know that I'm helping people! I know a beautiful complexion, yummy smelling skin, and damage free hair might not be as a substantial contribution to society as some of my past jobs, or for that matter, the work of so many in our community, but it still feels like I'm making a difference :)

Please keep those comments coming! I love to hear what's working for you and what products you'd love to see me continue to carry. As much as I love my products, I want everyone else to benefit from them just as much as I do, so please send me your feedback! Oh, and I am absolutely flattered at the number of comments I've gotten about my complexion! You are all SO sweet and have seriously had positive effects on my self-esteem! As some of you know from a previous post, I've been VERY self conscience about my skin due to all the scaring I have from serious acne when I was younger. To know that at least a few of you see my skin as flawless is something I'm sure I will never see but those comments help me to keep my "rosy glow" :) Well I'm on the subject, I have a few new products in the works that I'm very excited to release but need to keep them a secret for now! For those of you who are loving my facial products though, I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I also have to say a HUGE thank you to my Drew bear! Without his help none of these shows would be possible! Between him and my mom, I'm able to attend a craft show or home show every weekend! Selling online is amazing, but getting out there locally is a nice break from being behind the computer screen. Drew's really getting the hang of this craft show thing too! He's starting to sound like an old pro and doesn't get too worried if I need to leave the table for a few minutes. The only thing I regret about the Handmade Festival was that I didn't get a chance to checkout all the other vendors! We were so busy most of the time that the day flew by and before I knew it everyone was packing up! However, a little birdie told me that they may be planning another Handmade Festival in the Fall so maybe I'll get another chance to do some shopping of my own :)

Thanks again for all your support everyone! You're making handmade dreams come true :)

Magazine Promo Picture

Magazine Promo Picture, originally uploaded by She's Batty.

I'm being featured in an upcoming issue of the alumnae magazine for Brescia University College. This is a promo pic for the feature of me and some of my soapy creations. What do you think? Not bad for a 10 minute shoot eh? lol.

Look at all those packages!

Look at all the packages that I'll be taking to the post office today! I was completely amazed (and SO thankful) when the sales kept rolling in this weekend! Thank you to everyone who placed an order! Your goodies will be on their way to you shortly :)

Interrobang - Fanshawe Student Voice Feature

Batty's Bath was featured in Interrobang, the student produced newspaper of Fanshawe College in London Ontario. Thank you so much to Jessica who interviewed me and wrote up the wonderful feature! Go here to read the article.

Online Opening Date Set

I've got exciting news! I've set the date for the online opening of my Etsy shop for Batty's Bath!

The shop will officially open the week of February 14 - 20th, my reading week at university. This will give me lots of time (since I don't have classes) to add lots of products to my shop and process all the orders (fingers crossed) that will come in after the opening.

Sign up to be notified of the opening at the Batty's Bath Etsy shop and then stay tuned because I'll be adding a whole selection of products right after the official opening. I'll also be giving free products away to fans of the Batty's Bath Facebook fan page so make sure you're a fan for your chance at free goodies!

While you wait I'll leave you with a sneak peek of things to come with this picture. Can you guess what scent this soap is? ;)